Former Barcelona defender Héctor Bellerín delivered a dramatic equalizer in the fourth minute of stoppage time, costing Real Madrid crucial points in a 1-1 draw against Real Betis on Friday night.
Madrid briefly seemed poised to close the gap with leaders Barcelona to six points following a first-half goal from Vinícius Júnior.
Vinícius scored his 125th goal for the club at the 17-minute mark. After Federico Valverde took a shot from distance, goalkeeper Álvaro Valles failed to hold onto it, allowing Vinícius to score on the follow-up.
However, Real Madrid could not maintain their lead, with Bellerín striking late to secure a point for Betis. This leaves Madrid’s chances of catching Barcelona increasingly slim, especially with the leader set to face Getafe on Saturday; a win in that match could extend their lead to 11 points with five matches remaining.
In further bad news for Real Madrid, striker Kylian Mbappé was substituted late in the match after appearing to signal to the bench for a substitution.
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Both teams managed to avoid penalty calls during the match.
Brahim Díaz escaped punishment for a potential handball in the second half as Betis continued their pursuit of a Champions League spot.
Similarly, Riccardo Rodriguez seemed to handle the ball in the box for Betis, but the referee chose not to intervene.
Mbappé had the first opportunity of the match, collecting a pass from Trent Alexander-Arnold before sending his shot high over the bar.
Madrid’s goal came as a result of quick thinking from Vinícius. Valverde won possession in midfield and chose to shoot from 35 yards. Valles appeared to be caught off guard by the distance, allowing Vinicius to react first to the spilled ball and score.
Before halftime, Jude Bellingham almost doubled the lead, but Valles made a crucial save.
Then, Betis’ Andriy Lunin showcased his skills with a remarkable save against a powerful shot from Antony.
In the second half, Bellingham and Dean Huijsen both came close to extending Madrid’s lead, but they urgently needed those points to put some pressure on Barcelona.
With just minutes left, Madrid seemed to be holding on, but after failing to clear the ball from their area in the fourth minute of stoppage time, Bellerín seized the opportunity, striking it past the near post to earn Betis a point.
This report contains contributions from PA.