Real Madrid cruise to a fourth-straight victory
The champions got off to a flying start, and brought the home faithful off their feet within ten minutes. After being played in behind by a superb David Alaba ball, Vinícius Júnior caught Betis keeper Rui Silva in no-man's-land and chipped a delicate shot over the top of him to open the scoring in style. To make matters worse for the visitors, Betis talisman Nabil Fekir was withdrawn in the opening minutes due to injury.
The drama continued as Los Verdiblancos restored parity only eight minutes later thanks to a well-hit Sergio Canales strike from close range after the winger was picked out by Borja Iglesias. Los Blancos responded by peppering the Betis net, but Silva was up to the task between the sticks, ensuring the scoreline remained level at the break.
Much to the chagrin of the traveling Betis fans, Silva’s quality first-half performance did not carry over into the second. Just past the hour mark, Rodrygo managed to slip a soft shot under the hands of the diving keeper after being picked by Karim Benzema, restoring Madrid’s lead. With the lead in-tact, Carlo Ancelotti’s men showed their professional nature and slowed the game down to a walking pace, ensuring they collected all three points.
The result brings to an end Betis’ six game unbeaten streak in La Liga, but having won three of their first four games this season, the Seville side currently sit in second as they hunt down qualification into the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2005.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)