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Sergio Ramos scored the winning goal as Real Madrid came back 2-1 against to beat Real Betis 3-2 in their first La Liga win of the season.
Thibaut Courtois saved Antonio Sanabria well before Federico Valverde put Madrid ahead with a shot near the post from a poacher. Ramos missed a good chance to double his lead and then Betis fought back, scoring two goals in three minutes of the first half through Aissa Mandi and William Carvalho.
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Madrid leveled just after the break when a Dani Carvajal cross was deflected into the goal by Betis side Emerson. The visitors could have gone ahead when Karim Benzema’s shot bounced off the crossbar and then Emerson was sent off for a foul on Luka Jovic before Ramos completed the comeback from the penalty spot with 10 minutes to go.
Positive
Madrid needed to show they could score goals after going blank in their La Liga debut at Real Sociedad, and they did it here. The team looked promising throughout, creating chances early on, with Benzema in particularly dangerous form. The French forward was Madrid’s point man in attack last season, and that won’t change anytime soon. The victory was far from free of problems, and it was difficult for Madrid to contain Betis, but the spirit shown when coming back to win will have been to the liking of coach Zinedine Zidane.
Negative
An open game and an offensive Madrid made Betis have more opportunities than they were entitled to. Playmakers Nabil Fekir and Sergio Canales seemed impossible to play at times, as Madrid conceded two goals in the first half for the first time in La Liga since October 2018.
Luka Jovic also continues to look out of place in this Real Madrid team. Zidane insists that Jovic can be Benzema’s teammates and there were some very early positive signs, but often the Serbian forward’s movement seems out of sync with his teammates.
Manager Rating (out of 10)
7 – Zidane made three changes to the team that drew 0-0 at Real Sociedad. Casemiro and Valverde added steel to midfield, and Jovic joined Benzema in attack as Zidane tried to score goals for the team. That meant sacrificing pace across the board, with Vinicius and Rodrygo dropping out.
Zidane was unhappy with his team’s lack of midfield control, bringing in Luka Modric (even if Toni Kroos’s retirement was enforced) and Isco in an attempt to fix the problem, with some success.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best, players submitted after 70 minutes are not rated)
GK Thibaut Courtois, 7 – He made a superb, instinctive reaction to stop a Sanabria header to keep it 0-0, but would have liked to do better with Betis’ second goal when he was hit low at his first post.
DF Dani Carvajal, 6 – Cautioned for fouling Fekir before half-time. He provided a perfect cross for Madrid’s crucial second goal.
DF Raphael Varane, 7 – He displayed characteristic quick thinking and reactions to block a Fekir opportunity early, and he looked good all night.
DF Sergio Ramos, 8 – He could have changed the course of the game if he had scored a very presentable opportunity with his left foot in the 15th minute. He was agonizingly close with a free kick in the second half, then scored a late winner with a signature panenka penalty.
DF Ferland Mendy, 6 years old I had some joy getting ahead of the game against defensive suspect Emerson, but I had more defense to do later.
MF Casemiro, 7 – Back on the team, he was surprisingly benched last week. Recovered after seeking to be seriously injured by Emerson’s seal with 10 minutes elapsed. Struck in the air by Mandi’s goal.
MF Faith Valverde, 8 – He had struggled to find his form when La Liga restarted last season, but this was much, much better. He displayed unprecedented scoring ability with Madrid’s first goal of the season and only the third for the club.
MF Toni Kroos, 6 – He was injured early with what looked like a thigh problem. A glorious ball over Benzema just before that.
MF Martin Odegaard, 5 years old – Zidane clearly likes Odegaard and wants to make him a foothold in attack. He was in set pieces here too, swinging around corners with his left foot, but only had 45 minutes to show what he could do before being stopped.
DEL Karim Benzema, 8 – A busy afternoon. An early goal was ruled out before becoming Valverde’s supplier with his 82nd assist in La Liga. He could have scored more than once, first when Emerson hit Carvajal’s ball, then when his shot from the crossbar seemed to cross the line, and again when he couldn’t get Valverde’s pass on goal.
DEL Luka Jovic, 5 – Mostly quiet in his first start since January, not taking this opportunity to convince Zidane. His most striking moment came in the second half when he was played by Benzema and brought down by Emerson for his expulsion.
Substitutes
MF Luka Modric, 6 years old – He replaced an injured Kroos. He was immediately bogged down as Madrid sought to regain control of the match and was booked for a challenge against Guido Rodríguez.
MF Isco, 7 – He started at halftime, replacing Odegaard, and helped the team improve as the game progressed.
FW Borja Mayoral, NR – He came in for Jovic with 20 minutes to go and helped win the penalty that gave Madrid all three points.
