Madrid played well, but lost to Betis, says Mourinho

José Mourinho said he could not explain why Real Madrid lost to Real Betis. He believes his team was the better side in the La Liga match on Thursday.

Madrid lost 1-0 at La Cartuja. Mourinho insisted that his team did enough to win but missed chances to score.

Troy Parrott scored in the 81st minute to put Betis ahead. Thibaut Courtois saved a header from Nelson Deossa, but Parrott was quick to react and scored from the rebound.

Madrid almost equalized deep in stoppage time after Vinicius Junior was fouled in the box. Kylian Mbappe took the penalty, but Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Valles saved it.

This loss ended Madrid's perfect start to the season under Mourinho. He had led the team to three wins before this defeat.

“Sometimes you lose and don’t know why or how to explain it,” Mourinho said after the match.

He added, “The team played a great match. Sometimes you lose and don’t know why or how to explain it. We were very dominant, the center-backs were imperial and controlled absolutely everything.

“A lot of offensive play and many goal-scoring opportunities. If the match ends in a draw, we leave frustrated because we did more, so imagine how we feel with the loss. The team was solid throughout. Betis had some counterattacks, which is normal.”

Mourinho mentioned that Madrid had several chances to score and praised the team's overall effort. He noted that Betis mostly threatened on counter-attacks but felt the match belonged to Madrid.

“The match was Madrid’s. Betis, who played for the draw, hit the jackpot,” he said.

Mourinho expected to watch the match again before making a final judgment. He admitted he could not pinpoint why his team lost while watching from the sidelines.

“I might change my opinion after watching the match tomorrow, but from the bench today, I don’t know why we lost,” he stated.

The former Chelsea and Manchester United manager also praised his players, saying there was nothing to criticize about their individual or team performance.

“Everyone gave their all. We clearly deserved to win, but deserving doesn’t give you points,” Mourinho added.

After this match, both Madrid and Betis have nine points after four matches. Madrid has three wins and one loss.