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Parrott and Valles lift Real Betis past Real Madrid

James O'Connor
James O'Connor
Soccer Analyst
10:46 PM
SOCCER
Parrott and Valles lift Real Betis past Real Madrid
Troy Parrott struck late and Alvaro Valles saved a stoppage-time penalty as Real Betis beat Real Madrid 1-0 in Seville. The defeat ended Madrid's perfect start to the La Liga season.

Real Betis ended Real Madrid's perfect start to the La Liga season with a 1-0 victory in Seville on Friday, sealed by substitute Troy Parrott's late goal and goalkeeper Alvaro Valles's stoppage-time penalty save. The Guardian, citing agency reporting, said Parrott scored in the 81st minute before Valles denied Kylian Mbappe from the spot to secure all three points.

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The match began at a high tempo before slowing after halftime in the heat. Parrott entered in the 68th minute and needed only 13 minutes to make the decisive intervention. When Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois parried a header, the Republic of Ireland forward reacted first and converted the loose ball to put Betis ahead.

Real Madrid quickly threatened to respond. Mbappe hit the crossbar four minutes after Parrott's opener, keeping the visitors within inches of an equalizer. Substitute Carlos Espi then produced a bicycle kick from a Vinicius Junior cross, but a VAR review ruled the goal out for offside.

Betis also had an opportunity to extend their advantage. Nelson Deossa attempted a long-range shot after noticing Courtois away from his line, but the Madrid goalkeeper recovered in time to make the save. That left the result in doubt as the contest moved deep into added time.

Madrid received a final chance when Natan brought down Vinicius inside the penalty area. Mbappe took the resulting spot kick, but Valles made the save and preserved Betis's one-goal lead. The stop completed a dramatic finish in which Madrid struck the woodwork, had a goal disallowed and failed to convert a penalty.

The result delivered a notable home victory for Betis and brought Madrid's winning opening run in the league to an end. Parrott's impact from the bench and Valles's late intervention decided a match that remained scoreless for more than 80 minutes and was still unsettled until the closing moments.

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