Betis 0-0 Real Madrid: Ancelotti's side miss chance to pile pressure on Barca

Real Madrid end the weekend trailing league leaders Barcelona by nine points after a 0-0 La Liga draw at Real Betis.

Match Report

Real Madrid drew their second game in a week in La Liga to slip nine points behind Barcelona. If they lose the clasico in two weeks Barça will be 12 clear with just 12 games left and Xavi will feel he has one hand on the title.

Real Madrid have had trouble breaking down defences in recent weeks and there was more variety in their attacks early on with Rodrygo leaving the right flank and Fede Valverde occupying the wing with forward bursts.

But it was Betis who had the first chance with recent signing from Leicester Ayoze Perez forcing a fine save from Thibaut Courtois with a powerful drive from Rodri’s cross.

Madrid thought they had taken the lead on 13 minutes when Rodrygo wriggled clear on the edge of the Betis area and was brought down.

Karim Benzema curled his free-kick beyond the dive of Claudio Bravo but the video-assisted referee David Medie Jimenez had spotted handball from Antonio Rudiger in the wall and when Cesar Soto Grado reviewed it pitchside he saw how the slightest of touches from the defender had helped the ball past the Betis keeper.

With the goal ruled out Valverde took the initiative and fired one shot from distance that went just over. Vinicius missed another from an even better position. Eduardo Camavinga found him in space inside the area but he leaned back and sent the shot high over the bar.

He almost made the opening goal at the start of the second half when he cut down the left and pulled the ball back to Benzema whose shot drew the save of the match from Claudio Bravo.

Betis responded with their best chance. Miranda got in behind Real Madrid down their right and Borja Iglesias did everything right but Courtois saved his shot.

Valverde was still a threat and his driving run down the right ended with a cross that Rodrygo failed to finish past Bravo.

Dani Ceballos was on as a late substitute and he almost scored against his old club when Dani Carvajal laid the ball back to him and he hit the ball on the volley but sent it wide.

Vincius then went close again running in behind German Pezzella but Bravo once more made the fine save. The former Manchester City keeper was emerging as man of the match and he clawed away another effort this time from Nacho with his head.

Vinicius was getting increasingly frustrated and was shown a yellow card for dissent complaining about not being given a foul. The 18-year-old Alvaro Rodriguez came on with three minutes left. As he entered the fray as Betis brought on 41-year-old Joaquin. He replaced the exhausted Aitor Ruibal who had run a half marathon for the cause.

There was late controversy when Bravo stopped Vinicius taking the ball for a quick corner. There was pushing and shoving, it all ended in nothing. But so did Real Madrid’s attempts in the five added minutes to get a winner.

Match Events

0' The match is about to start!

9' Courtois makes good save

12' Benzema's goal disallowed

25' Yellow Card! Camavinga booked

33' Valverde's long shot over the bar

47' Yellow Card! Carvalho booked

48' Benzema's shot stopped

53' Courtois makes good save

55' Valverde's long shot stopped

Line-ups

Betis XI: Bravo, Carvalho, Pezzella, Sabaly, Ayoze Perez, Iglesias, G. Rodriguez, Ruibal, Luiz Felipe, Juan Miranda, Rodri Sánchez

Subs: Joaquin, Guardado, V.Ruiz, W.José, Juanmi, Montoya, Rui Silva, Martin, Edgar González, Paul Akouokou, Luiz Henrique, Abner

Real Madrid XI: Benzema, Kroos, Courtois, Rudiger, Vazquez, Valverde, Militao, Aurélien Tchouameni, Vinicius, Rodrygo, Eduardo Camavinga

Subs: Hazard, Nacho, Carvajal, Mariano, Vallejo, Asensio, Ceballos, Luis López, Lucas Cañizares, Álvaro Rodríguez