Madrid: Antonio Sanabria struck deep into injury time to hand Real Betis a shock 1-0 win away to Real Madrid here Wednesday as the European champions failed to score for the first time in 74 matches.
Defeat leaves Real Madrid, already seven points adrift of leaders Barcelona just five games into their defence of La Liga having failed to win in all three home games so far this season.
Even the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo on his return from a five-match domestic ban couldn’t break Betis’ resistance as former Real goalkeeper Antonio Adan produced stunning saves from Isco, Toni Kroos and Gareth Bale.
And Betis snatched all three points in the 93rd minute when Sanabria powered home a header from Antonio Barragan’s cross. It was their first win at the Bernabeu since 1998.
“Last year we won games we didn’t deserve to and now it is the reverse,” said Real coach Zinedine Zidane after the game. “The league is very long, in the end we’ll see how it goes but we need to be calm and we know we will have better days.”
Ronaldo was recalled among three changes to the Real Madrid side from Sunday’s 3-1 win at Real Sociedad as Zidane named his strongest available side.
However, it was the visitors who made the stronger start and should have gone in front when Sanabria’s goal-bound effort was cleared off the line by Dani Carvajal. Except for Isco’s chance in the first half, the hosts really did not have a clear look at the opposition goal.
It was after the break that Betis had to survive the Real onslaught. Ronaldo blazed wildly over from Bale’s inch-perfect cross before Kroos forced Adan into another finger-tip stop.
The former Madrid ‘keeper’s finest moment came in denying Bale in spectacular fashion 15 minutes from time, though, as the Welshman’s back-heeled volley was turned onto the post.
Agence France-Presse