Kylian Mbappé opened his La Liga account for Real Madrid, scoring twice to secure a 2-0 victory over Real Betis, extending the reigning champions’ unbeaten streak in the league to 36 matches.Real Betis, fresh off their qualification for the UEFA Conference League group stage, had the first significant opportunity of the match. Summer signing Romain Perraud whipped in a dangerous cross, but former Barcelona prospect Abde Ezzalzouli headed narrowly over from close range. Real Madrid quickly responded, with Éder Militão rising high to meet Rodrygo’s corner, only for Rui Silva to make a crucial save, and Perraud ensured Militão couldn’t convert the rebound.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Although Los Blancos enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, they struggled to impose their dominance on the game. The connection between Vinícius Júnior and Mbappé nearly produced a moment of brilliance, with the French forward almost latching onto a sublime through ball from Vinícius – had he finished, it could have been a contender for goal of the season. Just before halftime, Mbappé seemed poised to score when Dani Carvajal’s cross found him in the box, but Youssouf Sabaly made a crucial sliding tackle to deny him.Vini Jr. wins the penalty for Real Madrid.Tells Kylian Mbappé to take it.Asks the Bernabéu to cheer louder for Mbappé. FAMILY F.C 🤍🤝 pic.twitter.com/pYwXYRgj2t— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) September 1, 2024 The second half began without changes, but Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini soon introduced Johnny Cardoso and Vitor Roque, the latter making his club debut. Vitor Roque quickly made his presence felt, forcing a save from Thibaut Courtois after connecting with a cross from Sabaly. Meanwhile, at the other end, Diego Llorente put in a stellar defensive performance, thwarting several Real Madrid attacks in what had become a thrilling, end-to-end contest.However, Llorente could do nothing to stop Mbappé in the 67th minute. Federico Valverde’s clever flick set up the Frenchman, who made no mistake in finding the back of the net, sending the Bernabéu crowd into a frenzy. Vinícius Júnior, who had been visibly frustrated after hitting the post and disagreeing with several refereeing decisions, finally had his moment of vindication. A VAR review confirmed he had been fouled by Betis goalkeeper Silva, and Mbappé coolly converted the resulting penalty.
While Real Madrid’s performances have yet to hit their usual high standards, they head into the international break sitting in second place, four points behind leaders Barcelona. Betis, on the other hand, hover just above the relegation zone, but they can take some comfort in knowing they have a game in hand over most of their rivals at this early stage of the season.
LA LIGA – MATCHDAY 4SaturdayBarcelona – Valladolid 7-0 (3-0)/Raphinha 20, 64, 72, Lewandowski 24, Kounde 45+2, Olmo 82, Torres 85/Ath.Bilbao – Atl.Madrid 0-1 (0-0)/Correa 90+2/Espanyol – Rayo Vallecano 2-1 (1-1)/Romero 8, Veliz 90+6 – Garcia 4/Valencia – Villareal 1-1 (1-1)/Duro 24 – Perez 45+3/Leganes – Mallorca 0-1 (0-1)/Rodriguez 43/SundayOsasuna – Celta 3-2 (2-1)/Boyomo 21, Dominguez 45 og, Bretones 62 – Iglesias 29, Gomez 90+2 og/Alaves – Las Palmas 2-0 (1-0)/Vicente 7, Martinez 78/Sevilla – Girona 0-2 (0-1)/Martin 41, Ruiz 73 pen/Getafe – Sociedad 0-0Real Madrid – Betis 2-0 (0-0)/Mbappe 67, 75 pen/