Real Madrid dropped two more points and the League is getting a little more uphill, especially after Barça’s previous victory. After an even first half at Villamarín, the whites pressed on in the second half, but once again without success before the goal, with great impotence to create chances and, above all, materialize them. Betis held on (0-0) to leave Ancelotti’s men nine off the lead.
After the offensive problems that the Real Madrid team had in the last Cup Clásico, Ancelotti decided to go all out with an attacking eleven. Rodrygo as a starter in a 4-3-3 and Camavinga as a winger were the solutions to try to gain depth on both flanks, with Valverde in the middle together with Toni Kroos. In the béticos, without their two ‘wizards’ –Nabil Fekir and Sergio Canales– it was time to bet on Ayoze together with Rodri and Ruibal to hurt the white defense.
In a back and forth start, the chances were not too many. Militao tied Borja Iglesias well, and a powerful kick from Ayoze was the best local occasion, but Courtois deflected to a corner.
Real Madrid seemed to strike first with a Benzema free-kick, but the ball had touched before entering Rudiger’s hand –who was on the barrier– and the referee annulled the goal.
A shot from Valverde that went high by centimeters and a play from Ruibal were the best arrivals in a game without clear chances, but which little by little Real Madrid was dominating more and more. The whites tried with Vinícius on the left, but without luck, and Rodrygo on all sides, but Neither of the two Brazilians was entirely correct.
An error by Lucas Vázquez when the ball was released almost cost Madrid the goal, but Borja Iglesias found himself with the miracle of each game from the Belgian, his point-blank shot was saved by the goalkeeper.
The passing of the minutes made the white team dominate more and more. Ceballos’ entry into the field and the change in the sides helped to do this, and the chances that had been so scarce began to fall one after the other. The Sevillian midfielder himself shot close to the post after a play on the right, Vinícius found Claudio Bravo after a fantastic pass from Kroos and the Chilean goalkeeper also took a header from Nacho.
desperately, Ancelotti pulled from the young Álvaro Rodríguez to accompany a misguided Benzema again and without offering solutions facing the goal. The final siege, with Vinícius as the only resource, was sterile, Real Madrid suffered again in the League and moved away from the title against Betis who added a point that was worth their goal of securing a European place.
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Real Betis-Real Madrid, live: last minute of day 24 of LaLiga
