All their dominance and all their chances counted for nothing against Real Betis. José Mourinho's players lacked the decisive final touch, and a harsh blow in the closing minutes handed them a 1-0 defeat, Bakambu the scorer. It was Real Madrid's first loss of the season, arriving just days before the start of their Champions League campaign.
Mourinho had warned his players beforehand how difficult the encounter would be. Beating Betis, he stressed, demanded Real Madrid at their very best. That never materialised, despite a strong start from the Whites.
Real Madrid came flying out of the blocks with sweeping attacking pressure. Kylian Mbappé almost opened the scoring early, then Álvaro Valles produced a fine save to keep out a powerful strike from Dean Huijsen in the 13th minute.
Two minutes later, Vinícius Júnior came within inches of the net, only for the post to deny the Brazilian after a lovely assist from Arda Güler.
Betis threatened Thibaut Courtois's goal from time to time, Antony their most prominent source of danger, but the clearest chances still fell to the visitors.
In the 44th minute, Mbappé squandered a golden opportunity when Valles stopped his shot twice in a single attack. Huijsen then struck a ball that rebounded off the crossbar in first-half stoppage time.
The chances turn against Real Madrid
After the break, Mbappé kept searching for the opener, curling one narrowly past the post. But Real Madrid gradually lost control, and the hosts grew in confidence.
Reaching for his attacking cards, Mourinho introduced Bernardo Silva, Yan Diomandé and Trent Alexander-Arnold in search of a breakthrough. The changes brought no reward.
Real Madrid were punishing themselves for those wasted chances. Then the fatal blow landed. In the 81st minute, Bakambu pounced on a rebound after Courtois saved from a corner, putting the hosts ahead and setting the stands of La Cartuja alight.
The Whites threw everything at a rescue in the final minutes. Asencio thought he had grabbed the equaliser, but the referee disallowed it for offside. Mbappé then missed a penalty in the 90+5th minute, capping an unlucky night.
So Real Madrid paid a heavy price for their profligacy. Mourinho and his men suffered their first defeat of the season, a blow that lands right before their Champions League campaign begins.
For Betis, it was one of the biggest surprises of the round, a valuable victory won at the expense of the Whites.