By Our Reporter
Troy Parrott came back to haunt Jose Mourinho as Real Madrid suffered their first defeat of the Portuguese manager’s second spell in charge, losing 1-0 to Real Betis on Friday night.
Parrott, who was handed his Premier League debut by Mourinho at Tottenham Hotspur seven years ago, scored the decisive goal in the 81st minute to secure a shock victory for Betis.
The 24-year-old Republic of Ireland striker had only been on the pitch for four minutes when he reacted quickest after a corner to tap the ball home.
Betis goalkeeper Alvaro Valles had initially denied Real Madrid with a save from a close-range header, but Parrott was on hand to convert the rebound and send the home supporters into celebration.
The goal was Parrott’s first for Betis since his recent move from Dutch club AZ Alkmaar.
The defeat was particularly striking given Real Madrid’s dominance during the match. Mourinho’s side reportedly recorded an expected-goals figure of 3.16 and had eight shots on target, but were unable to find the net.
Madrid thought they had equalised late in the match, only for the goal to be ruled out, while Kylian Mbappe missed a last-gasp penalty.
Mourinho, who had previously given Parrott his senior Tottenham debut, admitted he could not explain how his team lost despite their dominance.
“Sometimes you lose, and you don’t even know why. There’s no explanation,” Mourinho said after the match.
He added that Real Madrid had been “completely dominant” and created enough opportunities to win comfortably.
“Tonight was all Madrid. We shouldn’t even be happy with a draw tonight; this should’ve been a win,” he said.
Mourinho handed Parrott his Tottenham debut in 2019 when the teenager came on during a 5-0 victory over Burnley. After the match, the manager gave the then-17-year-old the match ball and embraced him.
However, Mourinho later challenged Parrott to develop the mentality required to succeed at the highest level.
The striker subsequently endured several loan spells in Britain before moving to the Netherlands, where he rebuilt his career.
Parrott enjoyed an impressive campaign with AZ Alkmaar last season, finishing joint-third in the Eredivisie Golden Boot standings with 16 goals. His performances eventually earned him a move to Real Betis.
Former Republic of Ireland international Tony Cascarino has praised Parrott for taking the decision to move to the Netherlands and rebuild his career away from England.
“He had the opportunity to go to the Netherlands and show what he could do – and that was a risky move for him,” Cascarino said.
The defeat means Real Madrid have dropped points at a crucial stage of the LaLiga campaign, with Barcelona now having an opportunity to move three points clear at the top of the table when they face Valencia on Sunday.
For Parrott, however, the night represented another major step in his remarkable career revival — and an unforgettable opportunity to score against the manager who gave him his first Premier League appearance.