Real Betis vs. Real Madrid: Winners and Losers from La Liga
Real Madrid missed a chance to close the gap on the league leaders following a 1-1 draw at Real Betis on Sunday night in La Liga.
Real Betis midfielder Alvaro Cejudo fired the hosts in front with a wonder strike in the seventh minute, with forward Karim Benzema scoring the equalizer for Madrid 19 minutes from time. The visitors dominated possession and created several good opportunities but could only beat the outstanding Antonio Adan once in Betis' goal.
After the draw, Real Madrid now sit four points behind Barcelona, who top the table on goal difference ahead of Atletico Madrid. Betis are 14th, four points above the relegation zone.
Here, Bleacher Report selects winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Antonio Adan
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It was a good day for goalkeepers from Seville-based clubs. Hours after Sergio Rico starred for Sevilla in a scoreless draw with Atletico Madrid, Antonio Adan matched him with a sterling display for Real Betis against Real Madrid.
Adan finished with seven saves, which is an impressive total on its own. But even more striking was the manner in which he kept Betis level with a pair of outstanding stops late in the second half.
In the 78th minute, Adan sprawled to his right to keep out Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez's fierce drive from the edge of the box. One minute later, he showed extremely fast reflexes, reacting in time to block Karim Benzema's improvised flick.
If not for a missed offside call, Adan might have kept a clean sheet and led his side to a memorable victory against Real Madrid.
Loser: Real Madrid Dropping Points in the Title Race
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The big winner of the weekend in La Liga was probably Barcelona, the only side in the top three to claim the full three points. Real Madrid would have closed to within two points of both Barca and Atletico with a win but now sit four points back, with the Catalans holding an extra game in hand.
Of perhaps equal concern, Madrid remained only three points ahead of fourth-placed Villarreal.
Sunday's match presented a stern road test for manager Zinedine Zidane's nascent reign. Though Real showed character to recover from a losing position, they couldn't take advantage of an opportunity to draw closer to their two chief rivals.
Winner: Alvaro Cejudo
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Alvaro Cejudo opened the scoring with a seventh-minute scorcher, a goal of sublime quality.
The sequence started with forward Ruben Castro, who cut inside from the left and stung Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas' palms with a shot. The ball bounded sky-high before Fabian chested the ball into Cejudo's path. In one smooth motion, Cejudo uncorked an unstoppable volley across Navas and into the top corner.
It was an absolutely stunning strike that required equal parts technique and power. And after 638 scoreless minutes (h/t Who Scored), it was almost worth the wait for Betis.
"Zidane himself would have been proud of that hit," opined Diario AS.
Loser: Missed Chances
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Real Madrid deserve credit for responding well to going behind. The visitors applied relentless pressure for the vast majority of the final 80 minutes, and yet they scored only the one goal—which probably should have been ruled out for offside.
Although Antonio Adan had a good day in Betis' goal, Madrid were guilty of some wayward finishing as well, especially in the first half. In the 32nd minute, forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema traded passes before Ronaldo fired wide with only the goalkeeper to beat. Two minutes later, defender Pepe headed over the bar following an excellent corner from James Rodriguez.
Had Real converted one of those chances, the game might have turned out very differently.
Loser: Key Refereeing Decisions
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Both sides had a right to feel aggrieved by a questionable officiating decision from referee Juan Martinez Munuera.
The first came in the 35th minute, when the referee denied Real Madrid a clear penalty. Replays clearly showed Betis midfielder Petros stepping on Karim Benzema inside the box, but the visitors' protests fell on deaf ears.
Betis had their turn in the 71st minute as Madrid equalized through Benzema. Midfielders Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez created the goal with excellent interplay, but replays showed the latter was offside before he squared to Benzema for a tap-in.
In this case, the two bad decisions canceled each other out. But the officials really ought to have done better on both.
