Real Madrid seemed to have gone back to square one after the highs against Manchester City just 10 days ago with a dismal 2-1 loss to Real Betis at Estadio Benito Villamarin. The opener by Brahim Diaz was cancelled out by goals from Jonny and former Real Madrid player Isco - who was by far the best player on the pitch - and Real Madrid took two steps back after a step forward once again.
Los Blancos could fall to third place if Atletico Madrid are able to beat Athletic Club later on Saturday. At the same time, Barcelona could extend their lead over their eternal rivals by as many as three points if they succeed against Real Sociedad. Real Madrid struggled to play without the services from Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde, and the loss showed just how important those two are.
Real Madrid player ratings from the win vs Real Betis
Thibaut Courtois
Courtois was not at fault for any of the goals. He was close to saving both - he was not able to do much with the penalty, but it is more arguable that he could have done better in the first goal. Apart from that, he was able to keep Real Madrid in the game with a couple of spectacular saves. Rating: 6.5
Lucas Vazquez
A decent shift from the right-back. Dealt with danger as well as he could have, and won a lot of his ground duels. He also had four tackles and a clearance to his name, but struggled to get involved in the final third. Rating: 6
Antonio Rudiger
Easily Rudiger's worst performance of the season. That does not say much, as the German has generally been near flawless this season, but Rudiger really struggled against Real Betis. He was sluggish with the ball, slow without it, and carelessly gave away the penalty for Real Betis' second goal of the match. Rating: 4.5
David Alaba
Alaba made his second start as a Real Madrid player since his return from injury, and looked a bit off just like his partner. He did not have blunders, but he did give away a free kick and received a yellow card for a rash challenge on Antony. Positioning was a bit off, and there needed to be more communication between him and Rudiger than it was. Rating 5
Ferland Mendy
Mendy registered his first assist since October 16, 2022 with a pass to Brahim Diaz. He was sound defensively, and was able to mitigate the threat from Antony well. Got subbed off in the second half. Rating: 6.5
Aurelien Tchouameni
Played the first half as a central defensive midfielder, and the majority of the second half as a centre-back, and did not look all that great anywhere. He had a nervy defensive intervention which could have given away a penalty in the second half, but was generally neat in possession. Rating: 5.5
Luka Modric
Luka Modric will be starting more games now after Dani Ceballos' injury, but he will need to do a lot better against Atletico Madrid. Generally good in possession as always, but lost Jonny in the corner for Betis' first goal of the match, and could not create one of those classic magical moments for the club to get an equaliser. Rating 5
Brahim Diaz
Brahim scored his fifth goal of the season aftter a well-worked move by Real Madrid, but as with all the other attakcers in the starting XI, he could not really create a lot of danger apart from that. Worked hard on and off the ball, and has the goal to show for it. Rating: 7
Rodrygo Goes
A pretty subdued first half from the Brazilian winger, but slowly gained more and more relevance in the game as the minutes went by. Unfortunately, as with his other teammates, he was not able to do much to change the scoreline to Real Madrid's advantage. He had a couple of neat dribbles, but that's it. Rating: 5.5
Kylian Mbappe
A decent first half from Kylian Mbappe. He moved the ball quite well and had a great pass to Ferland Mendy for Real Madrid's first goal, but his presence waned down as the game went on and he was substituted for Endrick in the second half. Rating: 6.5
Vinicius Jr
A pretty bad performance from Vinicius Jr. Did not have a good first half at all. Real Madrid needed more from him after Mbappe's substitution but he became the subject of boos and whistles from the Betis crowd as he had a frustrating night with not much output. Rating: 5