Isco deals huge blow to his old Real Madrid mates
Isco grabbed a goal and an assist to help Real Betis to a 2-1 victory over former club Real Madrid, denying Carlo Ancelotti's side the chance to go top of LaLiga.
Madrid edged into a 10th-minute lead when Kylian Mbappe's prodded pass found Ferland Mendy, who in turn squared the ball to Brahim Diaz to finish.
But Betis was level just after the half-hour mark when a corner-kick from Isco was met with a powerful header from Johnny Cardoso to restore parity.
Cardoso almost grabbed his and Betis' second from another set-piece, but his headed effort was brilliantly repelled by Thibaut Courtois late in the first half.
But the hosts were ahead nine minutes after the restart when the lively Jesus Rodriguez was felled by Antonio Rudiger in the box, with the referee pointing to the spot.
Isco, who spent nine years with Los Blancos from 2013 till 2022, stepped up and rifled the penalty beyond Courtois's dive and into his right corner.
Betis should have increased its lead soon after, with Manchester United loanee Antony teeing up Cucho Hernandez, only for the Colombian to send his effort wide.
But the hosts held on comfortably for a victory that moves them up to sixth and extend their winning run in LaLiga to three matches.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti said his Real Madrid players must raise their game ahead of the UEFA Champions League's Round of 16 clash with Atletico Madrid, admitting defeat here was a "heavy blow" to his team's LaLiga ambitions.
"This is a heavy blow, we have to bounce back. Losing at this point in the season is tough because everyone is on form and we didn't do well in this game," the Italian said.
"We lost 27 balls in the first half and Betis got back into the game. If we play like this, we certainly won't win on Tuesday [Wednesday against Atletico Madrid].
"I hope this serves as a wake-up call. It seemed that lately we were more organised, more compact, and today we weren't able to do it like in the previous games."
Ancelotti explained his decision to bring on Endrick for the team's top scorer Kylian Mbappe in the closing stages of the game, saying the France forward had been unable to fully train because of a dental issue.
"Mbappe had a problem this week and didn't train much and wasn't at his best level," he said.
"To avoid problems, I took him off and put Endrick on, who has been in good form."
Madrid hosts Rayo Vallecano in LaLiga next weekend after its European clash with Atletico, which could lose top spot on the table to Barcelona if it wins against Real Sociedad on Monday (AEDT).
