Real Madrid’s La Liga title hopes slipped further away on Friday night against Real Betis after a 1-1 draw in the opening match of Matchday 33.
The game began cautiously from both sides, but Real Madrid looked the more dangerous. They finally broke the deadlock when Álvaro Valles parried a powerful long-range shot from Fede Valverde, but the save was ultimately in vain as Vinicius Junior pounced on the rebound and slotted it into the corner to give the visitors the lead.
Throughout the second half, Real Madrid came closest to scoring, but ultimately were punished for their lack of a clinical finish.
Just after the hour had passed the three minutes of added time, Antony finally beat Mendy, and after a series of attempts, the ball fell to Héctor Bellerín, who found the deadlock and fired a powerful low shot into the bottom right corner of Andriy Lunin’s net.
If Barcelona manage to defeat Getafe on Saturday, the gap with Real Madrid will widen to 11 points with only five rounds remaining.
Real Madrid will at least be hoping to avoid the embarrassment of forming a guard of honor for the champions, Barcelona, should their rivals mathematically clinch the La Liga title before El Clásico on May 10th.
A slip-up today would give Barça the opportunity to secure the title earlier, and Real Madrid would likely be forced to perform a guard of honor in a scene that would be remembered for years to come.
