Kylian Mbappe stepped to the penalty spot in stoppage time of Real Madrid's visit to Real Betis on Friday, Sept. 4 feeling confident.
Instead, Real Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Vallés dove to his right to deflect the shot and earn all three points for Betis in a 1-0 victory at the Estadio La Cartuja in Seville, Spain.
The officials held the ensuing corner kick to assure Vallés had a foot on the line and his body wasn't making contact anywhere over it. The kick wasn't retaken, and Real Madrid couldn't find a goal to avoid defeat.
KYLIAN MBAPPÉ MISSES PENALTY KICK 😦 pic.twitter.com/RVEhJna6pk
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 4, 2026
Officiating surely will be a talking point in the Spanish press even more than usual this weekend. Real Madrid thought it had a spectacular equalizer in the 87th
minute when Vinicius Jr.'s outside-the-boot pass in the box found Carlos Espí, who sent an overhead kick past Vallés and into the Real Betis net.
But a video review showed that the first movement into the box was offside, bringing the goal back and keeping the score at 1-0, with Real Betis enjoying an advantage thanks to an 81st-minute strike from Ireland international Troy Parrott.
TROY PARROTT WITH A LATE GOAL FOR REAL BETIS OVER REAL MADRID 💥 pic.twitter.com/WaRB9XiNQ5
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 4, 2026
It is the first loss Real Madrid has suffered since bombastic manager Jose Mourinho returned to the club, but Los Blancos have little time to dwell on the result.
The club has won more UEFA Champions League titles than any other with 15 titles in the continental championship and starts its 2026-27 UCL campaign with a Sept. 8 home match against Inter Milan.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mbappe sees stoppage-time penalty saved as Real Madrid falls to Real Betis
