Real Betis 0-0 Real Madrid: 5 Talking Points as Los Blancos drop points yet again | La Liga 2022-23

Real Madrid and Real Betis played out a goalless draw at the Estadio Benito Villamarin on Sunday (March 5).

Madrid thought they had opened the scoring for the night in the 12th minute through Karim Benzema's free-kick. However, it was ruled out, as it was deflected off Antonio Rudiger's hand. The visitors kept pushing and came close through Federico Valverde's thundering strike, which missed the target by a few inches.

The game became more intense post the break as Benzema was brilliantly denied by Claudio Bravo. At the other end, Thibaut Courtois pulled off a magnificent one-handed save from point blank range to deny Borja Iglesias. Real Madrid created a flurry of chances, but it was a shame that they could convert any of them.

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On that note, here's a look at the five biggest talking points from the game:

#5 Exciting game despite no goals

Real Madrid and Real Betis played out a flat-out draw, but the scoreline does not depict the real story. Los Blancos were comparatively better, but Betis were not far off, as they kept creating regular chances to frustrate the visitors.

The game had its fair share of chances, with the hosts knocking on the door but Thibaut Courtois stood tall and thwarted everything that came down his way. The Belgian made some unbelievable saves to keep the game in the balance.

#4 Pressure mounting on Carlo Ancelotti

With two more dropped points, the pressure is really starting to mount on Carlo Ancelotti. Real Madrid's last win was in the UEFA Champions League against Liverpool. Since then, they're winless in three games across competitions, drawing twice.

Real Madrid failed to beat Atletico Madrid in their last league game. To exacerbate matters, the Spanish giants lost to Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals.

#3 Attackers misfire for Real Madrid

Los Blancos are struggling to score at the moment, netting just once in their last three games across competitions. That came from their teenage sensation Alvaro Rodriguez, who came off the bench to equalise against Atletico Madrid.

Karim Benzema and Vinicius Jr. need to pick up the mantle and start scoring. The Brazilian's last league goal came a month ago against Valencia. Even Rodrygo Goes misfired against Betis, wasting easy chances.

👔 @MrAncelotti: "We lacked efficiency up front."
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#2 Real Madrid were quite predictable

The problem with Los Blancos was that they were quite predictable against Real Betis. The hosts could gauge their moves perfectly and knew when they would switch from flank to flank and hurl in crosses.

Nevertheless, Los Blancos created some good chances, which went begging for a lack of better finishing and cost Madrid all three points. Ancelotti will need to change his gameplan as teams are now better prepared for the duo of Benzema and Vinicius.

#1 Gap widens at the top

Barcelona, following their 1-0 win over Valencia, kept the pressure on Real Madrid, who have now dropped four points in their last two games. The Blaugrana have 62 points after 24 games, while Los Blancos trail them by nine,

Ancelotti's men will need a miraculous comeback to have a shot at the league. Not only will they have to play their best football, they will also have to hope that their arch-rivals drop points for them to stay in contention.