Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Behind the Lines Sportswriters discuss their careers and the work that inspires them. Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Isco Alarcon of Real Betis celebrates.Alamy Stock Photo Freefamiliar face Former Real Madrid player comes back to haunt them in shock defeat Isco scored the winner in an impressive win for Betis. 8.26pm, 1 Mar 2025 Share options LA LIGA champions Real Madrid suffered a dent in their title defence with a 2-1 defeat at Real Betis on Saturday. Isco scored the winner from the penalty spot against his former side, who are level on points with league leaders Barcelona. The visitors took the lead at the Benito Villamarin stadium through Brahim Diaz but Betis struck back with a Johnny Cardoso header. Isco secured the Andalusian side a deserved victory with a penalty early in the second half. In the late game, Atletico Madrid scraped a nervy 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao to move provisionally top of La Liga on Saturday. After Real Madrid, third, lost 2-1 at Real Betis, Diego Simeone’s side capitalised at the Metropolitano stadium thanks to Julian Alvarez’s second-half strike. Advertisement The Basque side, fourth, hit the woodwork three times in the hunt for an equaliser but Atletico held on to move top. Barcelona, second and trailing by two points, can reclaim pole position with a win against Real Sociedad on Sunday. Philip Billing kept Napoli right on Inter Milan’s tail at the top of Serie A after scoring a late equaliser in Saturday’s exciting 1-1 draw in Naples. Denmark midfielder Billing tapped home his first Napoli goal three minutes from the end at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, and shortly after replacing Billy Gilmour, to keep second-placed Napoli one point behind Inter. The 32-year-old, on loan from Bournemouth, scored after a driving run from Stanislav Lobotka, pouncing on the rebound when his first effort was saved by Inter goalkeeper Josep Martinez. Up to that point, it had looked like Federico Dimarco’s stunning free-kick in the 22nd minute would be enough for Inter to strike a huge blow in their bid to retain the Scudetto. Bayer Leverkusen cut Bayern Munich’s lead in the Bundesliga back to eight points ahead of the sides’ Champions League last 16 clash, with a 4-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday. Bayern’s comeback win over Stuttgart on Friday had sent them 11 points clear of champions Leverkusen. Wanting to keep their slim hopes of defending the Bundesliga title alive, Leverkusen did not blink against third-placed Frankfurt, scoring three goals in a seven-minute blitz to grab hold of the game. Nathan Tella latched onto a defence-splitting Granit Xhaka pass and slotted home after 26 minutes. Nordi Mukiele scored Leverkusen’s second three minutes later, prodding a loose ball into the goal through a crowded penalty area. Patrik Schick scored four minutes later, sliding in an Alex Grimaldo pass, his 16th goal in his past 14 games. Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike took advantage of a poor pass from Mukiele to score in the 37th minute. Despite the hosts starting the second half brightly, a cracking long-range effort from Aleix Garcia with 63 minutes gone sealed a crucial win for Xabi Alonso’s side, who go to Bayern in Europe on Wednesday. – © AFP 2025 Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Former Real Madrid player comes back to haunt them in shock defeat”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Former Real Madrid player comes back to haunt them in shock defeat”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. 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