Mourinho says Real Madrid ‘deserved to win’ after first defeat since return

Jose Mourinho suffered his first defeat since returning to the Real Madrid dugout as Real Betis secured a 1-0 victory at La Cartuja, leaving the Portuguese manager frustrated by his side’s failure to convert a series of chances.

Mourinho believed Real Madrid controlled most of the match and created enough opportunities to win, but their dominance was undermined by wasteful finishing. He said the result was difficult to explain given the way his team performed.

“Sometimes you lose without knowing why, and that is something that cannot be explained. We completely controlled the match and created many attacks and chances. If it had ended in a draw, we would have felt frustrated, so imagine how we feel after losing,” said Mourinho after the final whistle.

The defeat represented the first setback of Mourinho’s second spell in charge of Real Madrid. Despite the result, he maintained that his players had produced a performance worthy of victory and rejected the idea that the loss could be attributed to a lack of effort or quality.

Guler substitution was not performance-related

Mourinho also addressed his decision to replace Arda Guler, making it clear that the substitution was not a response to a poor display. Instead, he said the midfielder had been performing strongly and that it had been difficult to take him off.

“It was difficult to replace Arda because he was putting in a great performance,” Mourinho said.

The manager added that some of his other changes were influenced by players having already received yellow cards, rather than dissatisfaction with what they had shown on the pitch.

The post-match reaction also included attention on Espy despite Real Madrid’s defeat, while Mourinho’s main focus remained on the missed opportunities that ultimately allowed Real Betis to claim the points.

Mourinho cautious over refereeing decisions

Mourinho was also asked about referee Hernandez Hernandez and said he did not understand why he had been shown a yellow card. However, he refused to use the officiating as an explanation for Real Madrid’s defeat.

He also declined to offer a firm opinion on the penalty incident and the disallowed goal, explaining that he had not seen either incident clearly enough to judge them properly.

“I may change my mind tomorrow, but not today. The truth is that I do not know why we lost because the team played very well,” Mourinho said.

His final message was aimed at protecting his players from blame. Mourinho insisted that Real Madrid had done enough to win, even though the scoreline went against them.

“I have nothing to blame the players for. We deserved to win, but deserving to win does not guarantee you a point,” he said.

Real Madrid therefore left La Cartuja empty-handed, with Mourinho’s first defeat since his return shaped by the contrast between his team’s control and its inability to turn chances into goals.