Real Madrid defeated Betis at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium before the international break. Ancelotti’s men tilted the match in their favor after a spectacular second half. Mbappé was the hero, scoring his first brace in the madridista jersey and being replaced by Modrić to a thunderous ovation. For the opening goal, he finished on the first touch a superb back-heeled assist from Valverde, before converting a penalty won by Vini Jr. to double the lead.
The first half ended without a goal, although Ancelotti’s men created chances to score. Nevertheless, the first dangerous action went to Betis, with a cross from Perraud that Abde headed but failed to direct on target (10′). Real Madrid responded in two phases. First, Rodrygo placed his corner onto Militão’s head, forcing Rui Silva into a top save (20′). Then, Valverde took a long-range shot that was blocked by Natan, but it still ended up in the Andalusian goalkeeper’s gloves (24′).
Vini Jr. hits the post
Upon returning from the dressing room, our team intensified the pace. This is a habit for Ancelotti’s men, who, counting the two in this match, have scored eight of their nine goals this season in the second half. They came close to doing so during a lightning counterattack initiated by Valverde and finished by Vini Jr., whose attempt, after being deflected by Llorente, crashed against the post (50′). Soon after, the Bernabéu demanded a penalty for a similar action. Vini Jr.’s cross was deflected by Llorente’s hand, which was away from his body, but referee Alberola Rojas ruled otherwise.
A brace for Mbappé
The match was played within the Betis box. Rodrygo, off to the side, entered the area and unleashed a powerful shot that was parried by Rui Silva (56′). A minute later, another controversial moment for Alberola Rojas, who did not award a penalty for an obvious foul by Sabaly on Ceballos. But the long-awaited reward came, and it was beautifully executed (67′). Rodrygo found Valverde who, in the box, set up Mbappé with a backheel. With one touch, the Frenchman opened the scoring with his left foot.
Without delay, our team quickly doubled the score. From a superb pass by Brahim to Vini Jr., the latter got past Rui Silva, who brought him down. Initially, Alberola Rojas signaled offside, before being alerted by VAR and reviewing the action in slow motion. He ultimately awarded Real Madrid a penalty that Mbappé converted for his first brace as a Madridista (75′). At the end of the match, our team could even extend their lead, but Endrick, brilliantly found by Brahim, could not win his one-on-one (89′). This marked the second victory for Real Madrid at the Bernabéu in as many matches, thus Ancelotti’s men extended their unbeaten streak to 36 matches in La Liga.