*This content was translated by AI.
Real Madrid, managed by Jose Mourinho, has faced its first major challenge of the season.
On the 5th (Korea time), Real lost 0-1 in an away match against Betis at Estadio La Cartuja in Seville, Spain, in Round 4 of the 2026–2027 Spanish La Liga season.
This was their first defeat since the season opener. Although Real had been on a winning streak with three consecutive victories prior to this match, they struggled against Betis' solid game management. In the 36th minute of the second half, they conceded a decisive goal from Betis attacker Troy Parrott and collapsed.
Luck was not on their side either. Carlos Espig, who came on as a substitute in the 42nd minute of the second half, struck the back of the net, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
In stoppage time of the second half, Real even had a penalty kick opportunity. However, "ace" Kylian Mbappé stepped up as the penalty taker but was stopped by Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Valles. Valles made six saves on the day, including the penalty, earning him the highest rating of 9.7 from football statistics outlet FootMob for both teams.
After the match, criticism emerged in Spain regarding Mourinho's substitution strategy.
In particular, the substitution of winger Arda Guler was singled out as problematic. Guler started on the right side of Real's 4-2-3-1 formation, recording two shots and creating seven chances. He also created three decisive opportunities. His pass completion rate reached 90%.
However, Guler was substituted in the 19th minute of the second half for Yannick Diomande. At the same time, Eduardo Camavinga and Denzel Dumfries were replaced by Bernardo Silva and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Nevertheless, Real failed to regain momentum after the substitutions. Instead, their attacking cohesion deteriorated, and they soon conceded the opening goal and fell behind.
Spain's "As" stated, "It is hard to consider Guler being substituted first as the most appropriate choice."
They continued, "Guler, who showed clear development last season, has been in incredible form at the start of this season," adding, "All of Real's attacks went through his feet."
Against Betis, Guler also performed well. FootMob actually gave him a rating of 7.5, the second-highest among Real's starting players after Vinicius Junior (7.8).
As also praised him: "Guler positioned himself in the space between the lines where the defensive reference point became blurred, constantly confusing Betis' defense," and added, "He took command of Real's attack and connected each line. He played clearly, delicately, and creatively."
However, Manager Mourinho did not keep Guler on the field for long. In the end, this decision left a sense of regret.
The players who came on also failed to change the atmosphere. Despite Diomande, Silva, and Alexander-Arnold all entering the pitch simultaneously, the expected impact was not achieved.
As pointed out, "Midfielders failed to play organically, and no energy capable of changing the mood came from the bench," noting that "Alexander-Arnold and Silva also barely made their presence felt. Diomande has not yet started properly."
They further emphasized, "The second half was a continuous display of powerlessness and loss of control."
At the same time, they assessed it as "not a fatal defeat, but a loss that came while there was still time to fix problems."
Mourinho, who is Portuguese, previously led Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013. After managing Manchester United and Tottenham (both in England), AS Roma (Italy), and Fenerbahce (Turkey), he took charge of Real again this summer, drawing significant attention.
Although they started smoothly with three consecutive victories at the beginning of the season, their upward momentum was halted by the first defeat in just the fourth league match. Due to failures in his substitution tactics, Mourinho also could not avoid local criticism.
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*This content was translated by AI.
