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Real Madrid suffered their first defeat of the La Liga season after losing 1-0 to Real Betis at La Cartuja, with Cucho Parrott's second-half rebound proving decisive in a closely contested encounter.
Madrid started strongly and created two clear opportunities inside the opening 15 minutes. Arda Gler's cross found Dean Huijsen, whose acrobatic effort was denied by the Betis goalkeeper, before Vinicius Jr.'s strike from a tight angle hit the post following another dangerous delivery from the Turkish midfielder. The visitors continued to threaten, with Jude Bellingham creating a major chance just before half-time. The England midfielder's through ball released Vinicius, who set up Kylian Mbappe inside the box, but Betis defenders blocked both attempts from the French forward. Madrid came close again in stoppage time before the break when the Betis goalkeeper saved Bellingham's header, while Huijsen's follow-up effort struck the crossbar. The tempo dropped after the interval, but Madrid remained dangerous. Mbappe missed a chance after Huijsen's interception set him up in the box, while Thibaut Courtois denied Betis' Deossa with a fine save. However, Parrott reacted quickest to score from the rebound in the 80th minute after Courtois had stopped a header from a corner, giving Betis the lead. Madrid pushed for an equaliser late in the game. Mbappe's attempted chip struck the crossbar, while a goal from Jesus Fortea was ruled out for offside. In stoppage time, Madrid were awarded a penalty after Vinicius Jr. was brought down inside the box. Mbappe stepped up, but goalkeeper Valles saved the spot-kick to preserve Betis' advantage. The result marked Real Madrid's first defeat in La Liga this season, while Betis secured a memorable victory against one of the title contenders. (ANI)
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