With a poor start to the season, Real Madrid’s status only got worse when they lost their La Liga fifth round game against Real Betis in the last minute of injury time. Real Madrid is now seventh in La Liga with two draws and one defeat from their first five games.
Cristiano Ronaldo made his La Liga return after a five-game ban by the FA. Portugal's star was sent off during a match when the referee showed a yellow card to Ronaldo, and he shoved referee in anger. The referee sent him off immediately, and within few hours of the game, the FA suspended him for next five La Liga matches.
Since then, Madrid has struggled to perform well without the Portuguese international. Ronaldo made his comeback after five games against Real Betis, but it only deteriorated Real Madrid’s bad start. The match was goalless until the 90th minute, but Real Betis scored in injury time to snatch all three points from the defending Champions.
Why Real Madrid’s been struggling?
Madrid looked like they were struggling right from their first match in La Liga. Their first game in La Liga was against Deportivo. They won it by 0-3 with the help of Kroos, Casemiro, and Bale’s goal. However, their star defender, Sergio Ramos, was sent off because of violent conduct in the stoppage time of the game.
Their next two La Liga games against Valencia and Levante ended with 2-2 and 1-1 draws.
Meanwhile, Portugal star, Ronaldo was suspended for these games. Everyone thought that there was no way Madrid could win these two games due to the absence of Ronaldo.
Real Madrid’s fourth La Liga game was against Real Sociedad which they won easily with 3-0. An impressive performance by Welsh player Gareth Bale helped Real Madrid to win their second game in La Liga.
Real Madrid v Real Betis
Their fifth game against Real Betis was eagerly awaited by Real Madrid’s fans, as the four-time Ballon d'Or winner was about to make his comeback after a five-game suspension. However, Ronaldo’s comeback didn’t go the way fans expected! Ronaldo missed a few golden opportunities to score goals. Overall, he wasn’t looking like a four-time Ballon d'Or winner.
Ronaldo played many misplaced passes, unsuccessful dribblings, and off-the-target shots.
Their star Brazilian fullback player, Marcelo picked up an injury and was substituted by Lucas Vazquez. Real Madrid couldn’t break the deadlock until the stoppage minutes, even after creating so many chances.
In the end, their plans to put more pressure on their opponents during injury time backfired. A quick counter-attack by Real Betis was successfully completed by a header goal in last minutes of the injury time. The game ended with a 0-1 win over visiting team, Real Betis.
Now Real Madrid is seven points off Barcelona in La Liga following a poor start to the season. It’s crucial from now on, for Real Madrid to win almost every La Liga game if they want to catch title contenders, FC Barcelona as soon as possible.
