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Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Real Betis: No Mbappe, No Problem

Gonzalo García completed a perfect hat trick in just his second La Liga start of the season.

Amanda Langell

Gonzalo García (center) bagged the first hat trick of his Real Madrid career.
Gonzalo García (center) bagged the first hat trick of his Real Madrid career. / Diego Souto/Getty Images

Real Madrid kicked off the new year with a 5–1 victory over Real Betis on Sunday afternoon, handing Manuel Pellegrini’s men their first away defeat of the season.

After a brief holiday break, the pressure was on the Spanish giants to return to domestic action with a bang, especially given their rapid decline in form over the last two months. The challenge was a mighty one without the injured Kylian Mbappé, but Los Blancos delivered one of their best performances under Xabi Alonso.

A sensational outing from Gonzalo García, who got the nod over the injured Frenchman, led Real Madrid to glory in front of a passionate home crowd. The striker’s perfect hat trick, along with goals from Raúl Asencio and Fran García, secured all three points for the hosts, keeping the pressure on Barcelona atop the table.

Alonso’s men will hope to replicate their brilliant La Liga performance in just four days when they take on Atlético Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semifinals.

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Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Real Betis (4-4-2)

Rodrygo
Rodrygo tallied two assists in Real Madrid’s victory. / Dennis Agyeman/Europa Press/Getty Images

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Thibaut Courtois—7.7: Received a rare break in the first half before facing a flurry of shots from Real Betis. Should have done better on Cucho Hernández’s goal, but his defense once again put him in a poor position to succeed.

RB: Federico Valverde—8.8: Not where he wants to play, but still had the Bernabéu cheering his two assists and defensive efforts, including a brilliant last-gasp tackle inside his own box to close out the first half.

CB: Raúl Asencio—7.6: Celebrations for his first goal in a white shirt were somewhat muted after he failed to deal with Aitor Ruibal’s dangerous ball in transition, resulting in the visitors’ only goal of the afternoon.

CB: Antonio Rüdiger—7.0: Outshined and outplayed by Asencio, but still did well to use his physicality and situational awareness to limit Real Betis’ impact in the final third.

LB: Álvaro Carreras—7.5: Supported Vinicius Jr down the left flank at every chance he got and held Antony silent during the Brazilian’s 88 minutes on the pitch.

RM: Rodrygo—8.6: Took a beating early on, but changed the game with his set-piece deliveries. Now has five goal contributions in his last four starts, playing well enough to keep Franco Mastantuono on the bench.

CM: Eduardo Camavinga—7.6: A welcomed addition back to the midfield. Provided stability alongside his fellow countryman and stifled nearly all of Real Betis’ counterattacks before they even began.

CM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—7.7: A concerning injury scare in the first half loomed large, but the Frenchman powered through and delivered another all-around performance in the middle of the park.

LM: Jude Bellingham—8.2: An immoveable force on and off the ball. Once again created the most chances, had the most tackles and won the most duels in the match.

ST: Gonzalo García—9.6: Played his role to perfection. Gave Real Madrid a much-needed threat in the air and bagged the first La Liga goal—and then his second and third—of his career.

ST: Vinicius Junior—7.6: Unstoppable. Toyed with Ángel Ortiz, outclassing the fullback with his pace and dribbling ability. A performance reminiscent of the days before Mbappé joined the team.

Substitute

Rating (Out of 10)

Arda Güler (77’ for Vinicius Jr)

7.0

Franco Mastanuono (77’ for Rodrygo)

6.3

Dani Ceballos (81’ for Tchouaméni)

N/A

Fran García (88’ for Gonzalo)

N/A

Ferland Mendy (89’ for Rüdiger)

N/A

Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Sergio Mestre (GK), Dani Carvajal, David Alaba, David Jiménez, Thiago Pitarch.

Real Betis (4-2-3-1)

Starting XI: Álvaro Valles; Ángel Ortiz, Marc Bartra, Natan, Ricardo Rodriguez; Marc Roca, Nelson Deossa; Antony, Pablo Fornals, Aitor Ruibal; Cucho Hernández.

Subs used: Héctor Bellerín, Giovani Lo Celso, Rodrigo Riquelme, Sergi Altimira, Pablo García.

Player of the Match: Gonzalo García (Real Madrid)

Real Madrid 5–1 Real Betis—How It Unfolded at the Bernabéu

Gonzalo García
Gonzalo García bagged Real Madrid’s first goal of 2026. / Mateo Villalba/Getty Images

There was no shortage of energy from Alonso’s men in the early stages of their 2026 debut. Vinicius Jr led the charge down the left flank, dancing around Ángel Ortiz to create a few decent chances for Real Madrid.

The Brazil international even thought he won his side a penalty just six minutes into the clash, but both the on-pitch official and the VAR were unmoved by a clumsy challenge from Ortiz inside the 18-yard box. The incident was a sign of things to come, though, and the Real Betis right back entered the referee’s book in the 19th minute for another poor attempt at stopping Vinicius Jr.

Rodrygo took his place over the dead ball and whipped in a pinpoint free kick that found Gonzalo García unmarked at the back post. The striker calmly headed home the game’s opening goal, his first in La Liga.

Alonso and the sea of white shirts at the Bernabéu urged their team to score a second before the halftime whistle, but the poor habits of the Carlo Ancelotti era once again took hold. Los Blancos sat back, allowing Real Betis to enjoy prolonged spells of possession and needed defensive interventions from Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde to keep the game level.

The 15-time European champions made up for their whimpering end to the first half just five minutes into the second. After carving out space at the edge of the box, Gonzalo controlled an ambitious ball from Valverde with his chest before rifling home a sensational right-footed volley to bag his brace.

Celebrations barely ceased before Real Madrid were back on the scoresheet. Another perfect set-piece delivery—this time from the corner flag—from Rodrygo found Raúl Asencio, who sent a header into the back of the net to make it 3–0 in the 56th minute.

Defending started to turn somewhat optional for Real Madrid, giving Real Betis the perfect opportunity in transition to potentially start a comeback. A lightning-fast counter attack ended with Cucho Hernández dancing around Thibaut Courtois, who came off his line to try and deal with the striker, to give his side some life just past the hour-mark.

There was no doubt, though, who would have top billing. Gonzalo completed his perfect hat trick with a cheeky backheel finish, produced by his left foot to emphatically secure all three points for Real Madrid. In case there was any doubt, Fran García buried a goal of his own on the final kick of the game.

Real Madrid vs. Real Betis Halftime Stats

Statistic

Real Madrid

Real Betis

Possession

57%

43%

Expected Goals (xG)

0.75

0.21

Total Shots

9

5

Shots on Target

1

0

Big Chances

1

0

Pass Accuracy

93%

84%

Fouls

7

6

Corners

3

4

Real Madrid vs. Real Betis Full Time Statistics

Statistic

Real Madrid

Real Betis

Possession

61%

39%

Expected Goals (xG)

2.91

0.98

Total Shots

19

13

Shots on Target

19

5

Big Chances

5

1

Pass Accuracy

92%

86%

Fouls

10

12

Corners

5

8

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Amanda Langell
AMANDA LANGELL

Amanda Langell is a Sports Illustrated FC freelance writer and editor. Born and raised in New York City, her first loves were the Yankees, the Rangers and Broadway before Real Madrid took over her life. Had it not been for her brother’s obsession with Cristiano Ronaldo, she would have never lived through so many magical Champions League nights 3,600 miles away from the Bernabéu. When she’s not consumed by Spanish and European soccer, she’s traveling, reading or losing her voice at a concert.

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