Isco header with 4 minutes left gives win over Betis. Pepe Mel’s side let Madrid off the hook in a first half in which it had many chances to wrap up a victory.

Not without a little suffering did Real Madrid manage to win the first game of the new season, 2-1 against Betis, on Sunday night. It took a superb header from Isco four minutes from time to seal the win, but Madrid left a lot of questions unanswered. Earlier, Betis was first into the lead and could have had the game won by half time.

Pepe Mel’s side let Madrid off the hook in a first half in which it had many chances to wrap up a victory. Jorge Molina put the Seville-based club ahead just before the 15-minute mark when he took advantage of a slack Madrid midfield and defence. The home side did not take long to equalise through Karim Benzema just 9 minutes later, but never really convinced anyone that it had ironed out its initial problems.

It was not until the closing minutes, as Betis was forced more and more onto the back foot, that Isco Alarcón, one of Madrid’s star signings this summer, met a Marcelo cross from the left to win the game with a well-placed header.

It was a cruel punishment for a Betis side that deserved a lot more and paid for missed chances after having Real Madrid against the ropes at one stage, something that happens all too frequently in the Santiago Bernabéu. For Real Madrid, it was a relief to get the season off to a winning start, but the performance was not the type expected by the home crowd and things will have to improve in the coming weeks.

According to Marca