Barcelona gain advantage as Mourinho's Real Madrid suffer shock defeat
What's the story
In a stunning upset, Republic of Ireland striker Troy Parrott scored the winner for Real Betis against Real Madrid in Matchweek 4 of La Liga 2026-27 season. The 24-year-old came off the bench in the 68th minute and found the net from close range after Thibaut Courtois parried Nelson Deossa's header. This was his first goal for Betis since joining from AZ Alkmaar for £17.1 million earlier this summer.
Match highlights
Real Madrid denied by VAR and penalty save
Real's Carlos Espi thought he had equalized with an acrobatic volley from Vinicius Junior's cross, but it was ruled offside by VAR.
Later, Madrid was awarded a penalty for a foul on Vinicius, but Kylian Mbappe's injury-time effort was saved by Alvaro Valles.
The result ended Jose Mourinho's perfect start to his second spell as Real Madrid manager after three consecutive wins.
Career trajectory
Mourinho's knowledge of Parrott pays off
Mourinho, who knows Parrott well from their time at Tottenham, had given him his only two Premier League appearances in the 2019-20 season.
After unsuccessful loan spells with several EFL clubs, a successful stint at Dutch side Excelsior earned him a £6.7 million move to AZ Alkmaar, as per BBC Sport.
He scored 51 goals in 97 games before moving to La Liga side Betis this summer.
Post-match comments
Mourinho reacts to Real Madrid's defeat
After the match, Mourinho expressed his frustration at the defeat despite his team's strong performance.
"I don't know how we lost because we played very well collectively," he said. "I cannot fault the attitude of any of my players. We deserved to win but deserving to win does not give you points."
He also defended Mbappe after his missed penalty, saying they all stand together when one steps up to take it.
Do you know?
Why Real's defeat is an advantage for Barcelona?
FC Barcelona are top of the standings with 9 points from three games (W3). Hansi Flick's Barca will face Valencia away on Sunday and they know a win can open up a three-point lead early on in the season.
Information
Where are Real and Betis placed?
Mourinho's Real are 2nd at the moment with 9 points and a goal difference of +7. Betis also own 9 points and are third. Betis are behind Real on goal difference. Betis's goal difference is 0, having scored and conceded 5 goals each.