Real Betis 0-0 Real Madrid: Carlo Ancelotti’s side miss chance to pile pressure on Barcelona
Real Betis 0-0 Real Madrid: Carlo Ancelotti’s side miss a chance to put pressure on Barcelona as they remain nine points behind the league leaders after a goalless draw
- Real Madrid had a disappointing draw against Real Betis on Sunday.
- A win would have put them seven points behind league leaders Barcelona.
- Xavi’s team can stretch the gap to 12 points in the classic later this month
Real Madrid drew their second game in a week in LaLiga and moved nine points behind Barcelona. If they lose the classic in two weeks, Barça will be 12 ahead with 12 games to go and Xavi will feel that he has a hand in the title.
Real Madrid have struggled to break through defenses in recent weeks and there was more variety in their attacks from the start with Rodrygo coming off the right flank and Fede Valverde occupying the wing with flurries forward.
But it was Betis who had the first opportunity with the recent signing of Leicester Ayoze Pérez who forced a great intervention from Thibaut Courtois with a powerful shot after Rodri’s cross.
Madrid thought they had taken the lead in the 13th minute when Rodrygo escaped to the edge of the Betic area and was brought down.
Karim Benzema curved his free-kick past Claudio Bravo’s shot but video-assisted referee David Medie Jiménez had detected a hand from Antonio Rudiger on the wall and when César Soto Grado checked it on the field he saw how the slightest touch from the defender had helped the ball pass to the Betis goalkeeper.
Real Madrid were frustrated on Sunday night when Real Betis drew 0-0.
Karim Benzema put the ball into the net from a free kick but it was canceled out by a handball from Antonio Rudiger
With the goal disallowed, Valverde took the initiative and shot from distance that missed just a little. Vinicius missed another from an even better position. Eduardo Camavinga found it in the space inside the box but fell back and sent the shot high over the crossbar.
He came close to scoring the opener early in the second half when he cut in on the left and fed the ball back to Benzema, whose shot led to Claudio Bravo’s game-saving save.
Betis responded with their best chance. Miranda got behind Real Madrid on the right and Borja Iglesias did everything right but Courtois saved the shot.
Valverde continued to be a threat and his attack from the right ended in a cross that Rodrygo could not finish off against Bravo.
Carelo Ancelotti’s side have now drawn twice in La Liga in the last week and were unable to capitalize on Barca’s recent loss to Almeria.
Dani Ceballos came on as a late substitute and nearly scored against his former club when Dani Carvajal played the ball back to him and hit the ball on the volley but sent it wide.
Vincius came running up behind German Pezzella again, but Bravo once again made a great save. The former Manchester City goalkeeper was shaping up to be the man of the match and defeated Nacho with another header.
Vinicius was getting more and more frustrated and was shown a yellow card for disagreeing complaining that he was not called foul. Álvaro Rodríguez, 18, entered with three minutes remaining. When he entered the fray when Betis brought in Joaquín, 41. He replaced the exhausted Aitor Ruibal who had run a half marathon for the cause.
There was late controversy when Bravo stopped Vinicius taking the ball for a quick corner. There was shoving and shoving, it all ended in nothing. But so did Real Madrid’s attempts in the five added minutes to get the winning goal.
