Real Madrid’s LaLiga title aspirations suffered a significant setback on Thursday after a 1-1 draw at Real Betis, as a 94th-minute equaliser from Héctor Bellerín cancelled out what had appeared to be a hard-fought victory for the visitors.
Vinícius Júnior had given Madrid the lead with his 13th league goal of the season, tapping home after Betis goalkeeper Álvaro Vallés parried a long-range effort from Federico Valverde. The Brazilian’s strike appeared to have set Madrid on course for a crucial three points in their pursuit of league leaders Barcelona.
The evening’s pivotal moment came when Kylian Mbappé — making his 100th appearance for the club — had a volley disallowed following a VAR review for offside. That intervention proved costly, as Betis capitalised on Madrid’s failure to extend their advantage and drew level deep into injury time. Bellerín pounced on a loose ball inside the penalty area to beat Thibaut Courtois at the near post, denying Madrid what would have been a vital win.
Real Betis confirmed the result on their official X account, posting: “The game ends in a well-deserved tie.”
The draw leaves Madrid eight points behind Barcelona, having played the same number of games. Should Hansi Flick’s Barcelona side defeat Getafe this weekend, the gap at the top of LaLiga would extend to 11 points, with only a handful of matches remaining in the season. At that margin, Madrid would require a near-perfect run of results combined with a significant Barcelona collapse to reclaim the title.
The result also continued a troubling defensive trend for Madrid, who have now gone 10 consecutive matches without keeping a clean sheet — a statistic that underlines the vulnerability Ancelotti’s side have shown across multiple competitions in recent weeks.
For Real Betis, the point carries its own significance. The Seville-based club consolidate fifth place in the standings, keeping alive their hopes of securing European qualification for next season. The result reinforces the view that the top-five battle in LaLiga remains highly competitive heading into the final weeks of the campaign.
Barcelona, who lead the division and have been in commanding form for much of the second half of the season, now find themselves firmly in the driving seat to claim a LaLiga title under Flick. The German coach, who took charge at the start of the 2024-25 campaign, has overseen a sustained period of consistency that has placed Barcelona on the brink of the championship.
Madrid’s upcoming fixtures will be crucial in determining whether they can apply any meaningful pressure on Barcelona, though the mathematics of the title race are increasingly unfavourable for the record Spanish champions.
