Former FC Barcelona defender Héctor Bellerín struck deep into stoppage time to earn Real Betis a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid on Friday, denying the visitors a crucial win and dealing a blow to their hopes of catching the LaLiga leaders.
Madrid had looked set to cut the gap to Barcelona at the top of LaLiga to six points after Vinícius Júnior opened the scoring in the 17th minute — his 125th goal for the club.
The Brazilian reacted quickest after Federico Valverde’s long-range effort was spilled by goalkeeper Álvaro Valles, calmly slotting home the rebound.
However, Madrid were unable to hold on to their advantage as Betis found a late breakthrough.
With four minutes of stoppage time played, a poor clearance inside the box fell kindly to Bellerín, who made no mistake in firing home to snatch a point.
The result leaves Madrid’s already slim chances of catching Barcelona looking even more unlikely, with the leaders set to face Getafe on Saturday — a win would move them 11 points clear with just five matches remaining.
There was also concern for the visitors late on as Kylian Mbappé signaled to the bench before being substituted, raising doubts over his fitness.
Both sides had moments that could have resulted in penalties but were fortunate to escape punishment. Brahim Díaz appeared to handle the ball in Madrid’s box, while Riccardo Rodríguez had a similar incident at the other end, though the referee waved play on in both cases.
Mbappé had earlier registered the first real chance of the game after connecting with a pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold, but his effort flew over the bar.
Madrid’s opener came through quick reactions from Vinícius after Valverde drove forward and unleashed an ambitious strike from distance. Valles failed to gather the shot cleanly, allowing the Brazilian to pounce and guide the ball into the corner.
Jude Bellingham nearly doubled the lead before the break but was denied by a fine save from Valles.
At the other end, Andriy Lunin produced a superb stop to keep out a powerful effort from Antony, ensuring Madrid went into the interval ahead.
Madrid pushed for a second goal in the second half, with Bellingham and Dean Huijsen both going close, but their inability to extend the lead ultimately proved costly as Bellerín’s late strike ensured the points were shared.
