Ronaldo returns, Real loses at home

The reigning La Liga champions suffered a 0-1 defeat when hosting Betis in round five, in the match on the evening of September 20.

Goal: Sanabria 90'+4

Striker Antonio Sanabria scored the only goal that gave Betis a surprise victory. The goal came in the fourth minute of stoppage time, when most spectators thought the match would end in a 0-0 draw. From a cross from his teammate on the right wing, Sanabria jumped high to head the ball into the goal.

Sanabria's strike not only handed Real their first defeat of the 2017-18 season, but also ruined Ronaldo's return. After serving five consecutive games on the bounce, the Portuguese star was desperate to score and win.

Ronaldo missed a good chance after Bale's pass. Photo: Reuters

Real's defeat was also related to Ronaldo's form. Playing in his first match of the new La Liga season, CR7 had many inaccurate moves when receiving the ball and shooting. In the first half, Ronaldo missed two good situations with a backheel that bounced off the opponent's defender and a tap-in from a teammate's cross. After the break, the world's best player continued to waste a good opportunity by tapping the ball over the bar from Gareth Bale's precise pass.

In addition to Ronaldo's misses, Real also had a number of other stars miss out. Luka Modric was one of them when he sent the ball over the bar from a cross from the right wing. Dani Carvajal also disappointed when he lacked control in one situation when receiving a high pass and hit the post in another situation.

Ronaldo shot the ball over the bar when only goalkeeper Adan was in front of him.

While Real had the home advantage, Betis were not too far behind. The visitors from Andalusia even traded blows with the defending champions throughout the first 25 minutes. The opening opportunity came for Betis in the fourth minute when Sanabria dribbled past two defenders and shot at goalkeeper Navas. Not long after, Navas had to show his talent to save Real from another close-range shot.

Real pressed more from the end of the first half but could not beat former goalkeeper Antonio Adan. Adan's most notable save was the diving save after Isco's curling shot.

The substitutions did not help Real much either. From the middle of the second half, coach Zidane brought Marco Asensio, Lucas Vazquez and Borja Mayoral onto the field but still failed to score any goals.

In their haste to push up their formation, Real left many gaps in the midfield and backline. Betis took advantage of the opportunity to counterattack in the fourth minute of stoppage time and scored the decisive goal.

Navas conceded a header from Sanabria in the 94th minute.

With the defeat in round five, Real dropped from the Top 4 to seventh place in La Liga. The defending champion still has only eight points, seven points behind the leading team Barca.

Betis, on the other hand, have overtaken Real to take sixth place. The Andalusian side have nine points after five games, level on points and behind on goal difference with the two teams above them, Valencia and Sociedad.

According to VNE