Mourinho talks Mbappe, Espi, Guler, match refereeing after Real Betis 1-0 Real Madrid | OneFootball

Jose Mourinho was left frustrated after suffering his first defeat since returning to the Real Madrid bench, with Real Betis securing a 1-0 victory at La Cartuja despite a performance the Portuguese coach felt deserved considerably more.

Mourinho did not hide his disappointment in his post-match press conference, although his assessment remained calm. 

His strongest criticism was reserved for Betis’ approach, summed up by one particularly pointed remark.

“Congratulations to Betis, who played for a draw and hit the jackpot.”

The result clearly left a bitter taste for Mourinho. Real Madrid had chances to take something from the game, but ultimately left without a point.

“Sometimes you lose, and you don’t know why,” he said.

The manager added: “If it had ended in a draw, we’d have been frustrated because we’d done more; so imagine how it feels after a defeat.”

Mourinho defends Carlos Espi after disallowed goal

Mourinho was also asked about Kylian Mbappe’s penalty and Carlos Espi’s disallowed goal, but admitted he had not reviewed either incident closely enough to offer an opinion.

Mourinho remained calm during his post-match comments. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

“I haven’t seen… I haven’t seen it in detail. I didn’t see it in the changing room. I can’t comment on that.”

The Real Madrid boss was much more certain when discussing Espi’s contribution. The young forward had made an impact after coming off the bench, only for his goal to be ruled out.

“Espi is someone who comes on for 10–15 minutes and scores a fantastic goal which, afterwards, I don’t know… might have been offside or not… but he’s an important player for us.

“We haven’t picked up any points as a result of his efforts, but he’s done his job well. He’s done well.

“He’s a lad with great potential, and he’ll go from strength to strength, because he’s humble, hard-working and keen to learn. I couldn’t be happier with him.”

Arda Guler substitution leaves Mourinho frustrated

Mourinho also explained why Arda Guler was withdrawn despite producing what he considered an excellent performance.

The midfielder had been booked, making Mourinho wary of leaving him exposed to another disciplinary incident. 

“It was difficult to substitute Arda because he was playing so well.”

Carlos Espi’s goal was disallowed. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

The manager also questioned the consistency of the refereeing after several incidents involving Real Madrid players.

“The Betis players are smarter, and in the first play of the game, it was a clear yellow card for the Betis player for a foul on Valverde because the Madrid players get up quickly. 

“I don’t understand how Arda got a yellow card in the first half and it was difficult to substitute him.”  

Mourinho insisted the defeat should not obscure his assessment of the performance. 

He pointed to Real Madrid’s attacking output and the saves made by the Betis goalkeeper.

“Betis had a few counter-attacks, as is normal, but the game belonged to Madrid. I haven’t seen the statistics, but I can imagine we created a lot of chances. We had many shots on goal. 

“The goalkeeper made three impressive saves, and the substitutions I made weren’t because I wasn’t happy with the team, but because of the players who had yellow cards.”

On the match referee

Mourinho was forced to take off Arda Guler. (Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

The referee was another subject Mourinho approached cautiously. 

Asked about several contentious decisions, including the penalty retake and Espi’s goal, he refused to draw conclusions without reviewing them.

“I don’t know why I got that yellow card, but it’s fine, I accept it. 

“I stood up because a Betis player looked like he was out cold right there in front of the bench… but I don’t know.

“The situation with the penalty, the retake, Espí’s goal… I don’t know, I can’t say,” he concluded.

Source: AS