Real Madrid lose to Real Betis 1-2; Atletico go top of table

Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe

La Liga champions Real Madrid suffered a dent to their title defence with a 1-2 defeat at Real Betis on Saturday. Isco scored the winner from the penalty spot against his former side. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti picked a strong line up, with no breathing room in the title race, despite the impending Champions League clash against local rivals Atletico.

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The visitors took the lead at the Benito Villamarin stadium through Brahim Diaz, but Betis struck back with a Johnny Cardoso header, as Real Madrid missed the suspended Jude Bellingham. Isco secured the Andalusian side a deserved victory with a penalty in the second half. "It [the result] is a big blow. We started well, but later we did not have the same level of commitment, the game got out of control against a side that played better than us and deserved to win," said Ancelotti.

Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid scraped a nervy 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao thanks to Julian Alvarez's second-half strike to move to the top of the La Liga table on Saturday. "We're in the fight for the title, but we know there's a long way to go, a lot of very important games are coming up, but with hard work and humility we'll achieve [our goals]," said Alvarez.

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