Real Madrid maintained their 100 per cent record in LaLiga as they marked their return to the Santiago Bernabeu with a 2-1 win over Real Betis.
Madrid’s opening three league games had come on the road, but the reigning champions transferred that form to home turf on Saturday.
Victory did not come easy, with Madrid unusually profligate in front of goal, while Thibaut Courtois’ error allowed Betis to cancel out Vinicius Junior’s opener through Canales.
Rodrygo made the decisive breakthrough midway through the second half, however, condemning Betis to a first defeat of their LaLiga campaign.
Madrid needed just nine minutes to score their first home league goal against Betis since March 2017 when David Alaba picked out the run of Vinicius who, having beat the offside trap, lofted a fine finish over Rui Silva.
The celebratory mood was stifled eight minutes later, however. Borja Iglesias brilliantly held off his marker and laid it off for Canales, whose low finish found a way under Thibaut Courtois.
Madrid’s response was immediate, with Rodrygo finding Vinicius, but from close range the winger blazed his attempt over, while Silva pulled off a fine save to deny Aurelien Tchouameni.
Los Blancos’ dominance continued into the second half – Karim Benzema spared by the offside flag for a dismal miss a yard out – and Silva tipping a stinging Luka Modric strike onto the post.
Yet Madrid’s winner came in the 65th minute. Ancelotti turned to Federico Valverde for inspiration from the bench and, with his second touch, the Uruguay international provided just that, cutting back to Rodrygo, who benefitted from weak goalkeeping from Silva.
Rodrygo was agonisingly close to a second when his cute volley clipped the crossbar, though Madrid’s failure to add a third did not ultimately prove costly.
What does it mean? Madrid have just too much in reserve
Madrid have such a wealth of depth available to them that Ancelotti was able to bench Valverde and Toni Kroos, among others, for Saturday’s match. Yet Valverde’s impact when he did come on was instant, and proof of the gap between Madrid (and possibly Barcelona following their spending spree) and the best of the rest in Spain.
