Parrott's late strike ends Mourinho's Real Madrid return with first defeat

Troy Parrott’s 81st-minute goal and a late penalty save from Alvaro Valles gave Real Betis a 1-0 victory over Real Madrid at the Benito Villamarín on Sunday, handing Jose Mourinho his first defeat since returning to the club and ending Madrid’s perfect start to the La Liga season.

Parrott, the Republic of Ireland striker, was introduced in the 68th minute and broke the deadlock when he reacted sharply after Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois parried a header into his path. Kylian Mbappe struck the crossbar four minutes later as Madrid pushed for an equaliser, before substitute Carlos Espi met a Vinicius Junior cross with a spectacular bicycle kick — only for VAR to rule it out for offside.

Nelson Deossa nearly doubled Betis’s lead with a long-range effort after spotting Courtois off his line, but the Belgian goalkeeper recovered to make the save. Madrid’s final chance came deep in stoppage time when Natan brought down Vinicius inside the area, but Valles denied Mbappe from the spot to preserve the result.

“I don’t know how we lost because we played very well collectively. I cannot fault the attitude of any of my players. We deserved to win but deserving to win does not give you points,” Mourinho said after the match. He added that Betis’s experience played a role: “The Betis players are more streetwise than the Madrid players, who are very honest. With the backing of a fantastic crowd, they manage to gain these kinds of advantage.”

Elsewhere in Europe, Paris Saint-Germain suffered their first Ligue 1 defeat of the season, losing 2-1 at home to Monaco. Marquinhos had put PSG ahead in the 31st minute, but Monaco responded through Flavio Nazinho in the 58th and Stanis Idumbo in the 72nd to claim all three points. Monaco are now the only side to win all three of their opening Ligue 1 fixtures this season.

The defeat came on the same day PSG announced contract extensions for coach Luis Enrique and several key players, including João Neves, Lucas Beraldo, Senny Mayulu and Willian Pacho — all tied down until 2031 — and Fabian Ruiz, whose deal runs to 2028. Monaco’s squad notably did not include striker Folarin Balogun following the collapse of his proposed transfer to Everton.