Real's coach Jose Mourinho remained upset and perplexed by some of the referee's decisions after his team lost to Real Betis 1-0 in La Liga on Friday evening.
Real's head coach Jose Mourinho expressed his disappointment after his team lost to Real Betis 1-0. He questioned the referee's decisions during the match, insisting that his team had done everything necessary to win.
After the game, Mourinho told reporters: 'We clearly deserved to win, but merit doesn't bring points.' Real controlled the initial stages of the game at the La Carraca stadium, creating two quality chances before the fifteenth minute. In the eleventh minute, Arda Güler delivered an accurate cross, but Din Hyuizen's acrobatic shot was saved by the Betis goalkeeper. Three minutes later, Vinicius Junior hit the crossbar following another cross from Güler.
As the first half progressed, Betis increased the pressure, but the Madrid players continued to create chances. In the forty-third minute, Jude Bellingham crossed to Vinicius, and the Brazilian found Kylian Mbappé inside the box. Mbappé's first shot was blocked by Nathan, and Marc Bartra's second shot went wide of the goal.
'Real' got close to a goal again in extra time when the goalkeeper saved Bellingham's shot, and then Hyuizen hit the crossbar. The visitors continued to apply pressure after the break but could not break through. Betis goalkeeper Vallès made another crucial save from Deossa's shot in the eighty-fifth minute, but Troy Parrott capitalized on the moment and led the home side to a goal.
Real had a late chance to equalize when Vinicius was fouled in the box in extra time. Mbappé converted the penalty, but Vallès made another decisive save. Mourinho, who received a warning during the tense match, also expressed dissatisfaction with the referee's disciplinary decisions, especially the yellow card shown to Güler in the first half.
Mourinho noted: 'I don't know why he gave me a yellow card, but it's fine; I accept it. Betis went into halftime without a single card, and poor Arda, who only knows how to play, received a yellow. I didn't like that.' The Portuguese also stated that he could not fully comment on the penalty and the previously disallowed goal by Gonzalo Espi, as he did not see these incidents replayed. He added: 'The situation with the penalty, the replay penalty, Espi's goal—I don't know, I can't say. I saw a lot of disappointment on the bench from people watching the replays on a tablet. I didn't see them, so I can't comment.'
Nevertheless, Mourinho praised his players for their performance despite the result. He said: 'I don't know why we lost. I cannot justify it. As a team, the squad played very well in all aspects. Individually, they also played very well. I have nothing to reproach any player for their attitude; quite the opposite. Everyone gave their all.'
Mourinho emphasized that 'Real' created enough chances but missed them due to the inspired play of the Betis goalkeeper. 'We missed three, and their goalkeeper made four incredible saves,' he noted. 'Perhaps I will change my mind after watching the match tomorrow, but from the stands today, I don't understand why we lost.'
This was Real's first defeat of the season, dropping them to second place in the table, while their arch-rival Barcelona maintained the leading position thanks to a better goal difference than Mourinho's team.