Real Madrid managed to pick up three points in the fifth week of La Liga 2022/23. Faced with Real Betis at the Santiago Bernabeu, Los Blancos won with a score of 2-1.
El Real took the lead through Vinicius Junior's quick goal, but Real Betis responded quickly with a goal from Sergio Canales. In the second half, Rodrygo managed to score El Real's second goal and locked Los Blancos' victory.
Thanks to this victory, Real Madrid is at the top of the standings with 12 points. While Real Betis had to settle for being stuck in second place in the La Liga standings.
Betis position can still sag, because Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal are still not playing.
First round
Status as the host, Real Madrid immediately step on the gas. El Real did not take long to score.
Starting from David Alaba's cross, Vinicius Junior managed to escape the offside trap and face Silva one on one. Realizing the Betis goalkeeper was too advanced, Vinicius fired a lob that went into the Betis goal. The 1-0 score turned into Madrid's advantage.
Left behind 1-0 to make Betis increase the intensity of their game. Their efforts had an immediate impact.
Starting from a throw-in scheme, Iglesias managed to hold the ball and then provide a pass to Canales, and the winger fired a low shot that went into Courtois' goal. The score changed to 1-1.
After Canales scored, the tempo of the match began to change. Real Madrid began to be more active in opening fire even though not many of their shots were on target.
The buying and selling of attacks continued, but the score remained 1-1 until halftime.
Second round
Entering the second half, Real Madrid stepped on the gas again. Los Blancos tried to make a quick goal in this match.
But Real Betis have proven once again that they are not an easy team to beat. Manuel Pellegrini's men defended so solidly that Madrid struggled to create meaningful chances in this match.
Realizing that his team had difficulty breaking through the Betis defense, Carlo Ancelotti made one substitution. He pulled out Camavinga and put in Federico Valverde.
Entering Valverde is a telling decision from Ancelotti. Just two minutes on the pitch, he immediately made the difference.
Starting from his movement on the right, he released a pull bait to Rodrygo, and the Brazilian winger had no trouble getting the ball into the Betis goal. The score changed to 2-1 for Madrid's advantage.
Being in a position left behind, Pellegrini made a number of substitutions. Aitor Ruibal, Joaquin Sanchez and Willian Jose were included to add to the power of the Verdiblancos pounding.
Buying and selling attacks continue to occur. Although Real Madrid dominated the game, they struggled to create really dangerous chances. As a result the score 1-0 lasted until the referee blew the whistle signaling the end of the match.
The Lineup of Both Teams
Real Madrid (4-3-3): Courtois; Mendy, Alaba, Militao, Carvajal; Camavinga, Tchouameni, Modric; Vinicius Jr, Benzema, Rodrygo
Coach: Carlo Ancelotti
Real Betis (4-2-3-1): Silva; Moreno, Gonzalez, Felipe, Sabaly; Guardado, Rodriguez; Juanmi, Fekir, Canales; Iglesias
Coach: Manuel Pellegrini