Atletico Madrid Falls 1-0 to Betis Despite Copa del Rey Triumph

Atletico Madrid suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Real Betis on Sunday in La Liga, just three days after a commanding 5-0 Copa del Rey win over the same opponents.

The only goal came in the 28th minute from Brazilian winger Antony, who struck from 20 yards to beat Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak at his near post. The goal marked Antony’s 10th of the season and secured all three points for Betis.

The loss leaves Atletico third in the league, 13 points adrift of leaders Barcelona, while Betis, now fifth, continue their push for a top-four finish, trailing fourth-placed Villarreal by four points despite having played two additional matches.

Atletico captain Koke admitted the team struggled to replicate their cup performance. “It’s a tough defeat to take after the great game we had in the cup. We weren’t as good as the other day. They set up a lot tighter at the back… We had very few chances,” he said.

Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini made five changes from the side beaten 5-0 midweek, and his team were determined to prove a point in the Spanish capital. Atletico’s attempts to respond were limited, with Julian Alvarez kept under control by Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Valles and Cedric Bakambu denied by Oblak.

Atletico thought they had equalised with 15 minutes to go when Diego Llorente headed Giuliano Simeone’s cross into the net, but Antoine Griezmann was ruled fractionally offside, nullifying the goal. Betis nearly doubled their lead late through Rodrigo Riquelme, but Oblak produced a stunning save to keep Atletico in the game.

Betis midfielder Alvaro Fidalgo praised his team’s tactical discipline. “The result in the cup was very hard to take, so we had to correct a lot of things in these two days,” he said.

The defeat shows that while Atletico dominated in cup competitions, La Liga consistency remains a challenge as they trail behind the title rivals.