Seville, 25 April (H.S.): Real Madrid’s title hopes in La Liga 2025‑26 took a major hit after they were held 1‑1 by Real Betis on Friday night. A late goal from Héctor Bellerin snatched the win from the visitors’ grasp in the dying moments of the contest.

Madrid opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Federico Valverde unleashed a powerful long‑range shot that Betis goalkeeper Álvaro Valles could not hold; the ball spilled to Vinícius Júnior, who tapped in with a composed finish to put the away side 1‑0 up.

Jude Bellingham then missed a chance to double the lead, while Betis pushed for an equaliser in the closing stages of the first half. Real’s goalkeeper Andrii Lunin made several crucial saves, keeping the advantage intact at the break.

In the second half, Madrid continued to dominate possession but wasted numerous opportunities. Kylian Mbappé struggled to stamp his authority on the game, missing a simple chance from a Trent‑Alexander Arnold‑like pass and having another goal disallowed for offside.

Lunin produced a superb one‑handed stop in the 65th minute to deny Cucho Hernández and then kept out a shot by Natan, while Vinícius squandered another clear opening, leaving Madrid unable to convert their superiority into a second goal.

The guests finally paid the price in the 93rd minute. After Ferland Mendy lost possession, Antony drove forward and laid the ball off to Bellerin, who drilled a low shot through the crowded penalty area to level the match.

Bellerin said after the match:

“In moments like this you don’t have time to think much. I don’t usually shoot from far, but the opportunity came and I just hit it. The ball went in and it was a good feeling.”

He added:

“I think we controlled the game well and perhaps deserved more than just one point. Not getting the win is a bit disappointing, but it’s still a positive result.”

With this draw, Barcelona now sit top of the table with 82 points, eight ahead of second‑placed Real Madrid. The Catalan side also have a game in hand and can extend their advantage to 11 points with a win over Getafe.

Real Madrid will now need an almost perfect run of results to stay in the title race, and the Camp Nou‑hosted El Clásico against Barcelona on May 10 could become a decisive showdown in the 2025‑26 La Liga season.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar