Real Madrid's unblemished start to the La Liga season came to an abrupt end on Friday as Real Betis claimed a 1-0 victory at home, with Irish forward Troy Parrott emerging as the unlikely hero in Seville.
The match began at a brisk pace before slowing in the second half amid the Andalusian heat. The deadlock appeared destined to remain unbroken until Parrott, who had only been introduced in the 68th minute, made an instant impact. In the 81st minute, the substitute reacted sharply to a loose ball after Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois had parried a header, firing home to give Betis the lead.
Madrid responded almost immediately. Four minutes after falling behind, Kylian Mbappé rattled the crossbar as the visitors searched for an equalizer. Moments later, fellow substitute Carlos Espí appeared to have leveled the score with an audacious bicycle kick, connecting with a Vinícius Júnior cross. The celebrations were short-lived, however, as a VAR review determined the goal should be disallowed for offside.
Betis nearly extended their advantage late on when Nelson Deossa, spotting Courtois had strayed from his line, attempted a long-range strike. The Belgian goalkeeper recovered in time to keep the effort out, preserving Madrid's hopes of salvaging a point.
José Mourinho's side were handed a golden opportunity to rescue the match deep into stoppage time when defender Natan brought down Vinícius inside the penalty area. Mbappé stepped up to take the resulting spot kick, but Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Valles guessed correctly and produced a crucial save to deny the France international, sealing the win for the hosts and handing Madrid their first defeat of the campaign.
Elsewhere in European football, Paris Saint-Germain suffered their first Ligue 1 loss of the season, falling 2-1 to Monaco despite taking an early lead. Marquinhos opened the scoring for the hosts in the 31st minute, but Monaco fought back through Flavio Nazinho in the 58th minute and Stanis Idumbo in the 72nd to complete the turnaround. The result leaves Monaco as the only team in the division with a perfect record after three matches, while PSG have now failed to win any of their opening three league fixtures, having previously drawn 2-2 with both Rennes and Lille. The Parisian club had also suffered defeat in the French Super Cup, losing 1-0 to Lens last month.
The setback for PSG came on the same day the club confirmed a series of contract extensions for manager Luis Enrique and several key players. João Neves, Lucas Beraldo, Senny Mayulu and Willian Pacho all put pen to paper on new deals running through 2031, while midfielder Fabian Ruiz extended his stay at the club until 2028.
For Real Madrid, the defeat in Seville represents a significant dent in what had been a flawless start to the season under Mourinho, while Betis will take great satisfaction from stopping the league leaders with a well-organized defensive display capped by Parrott's decisive intervention and Valles's late heroics from the penalty spot.
Based on reporting from The Guardian and BBC Sport.