Real Madrid fall at the Bernabeu on Ronaldo's return

godfred akoto

September 21, 2017 7:56 AM

The champions are already trailing rivals Barcelona by a seven points

Cristiano Ronaldo returned from his five-game ban and Real Madrid failed to score for the first time in 74 matches as the Spanish champions were beaten 1-0 by Betis.

Antonio Sanabria got the winner in the 94th minute with a free back post header past Keylor Navas. It was Betis first win at the Bernabeu in 19 years and the end of Madrid’s incredible scoring record.

Ronaldo was guilty of blasting high and wide on several occasions as the run of 73 straight matches scoring came to an end.

Real Betis keeper Antonio Adan pulled off save after save becoming the first keeper to stop Madrid scoring since Joe Hart the season before last in the Champions League semi-final against Manchester City. He pushed a Gareth Bale flicked volley on to his post in one of countless near misses and saved brilliantly from Borja Mayoral in Madrid’s last desperate attack.

Zinedine Zidane’s team had thrown so many men forward late on the gaps appeared at the back. Sanabria was ruled offside when he converted for Betis on 90 minutes but when the chance came again four minutes into injury time he did not miss and he was onside.

Madrid came into the game off the back of two home draws in the league. They have been starting slowly at the Bernabeu and conceding sloppy goals. It might have happened again had Dani Carvajal cleared off the line from Sanabria’s first chance.

Ronaldo then tried to score with a back-heel through a crowded six-yard box but Javi Garcia cleared off the line for Betis. And he was involved again when Marcelo felt he had been brought down in the box by the former Manchester City midfielder but referee Mateu Lahoz waved away the appeals.

The chances were coming at both ends with Victor Camarasa testing Keyor Navas and Luka Modric twice testing Adan with two shots, the first after a lung-busting run from the halfway line. He was Madrid’s best player in the first 45 minutes.

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