Real Madrid defeated Betis 5-1 in La Liga's matchday 18, with goals from Gonzalo García, Raúl Asencio, and Fran García. Argentine Franco Mastantuono came on in the second half, drawing reactions from Spanish media. The team remains second in the standings, trailing Barcelona.
At Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, Real Madrid convincingly beat Betis 5-1 in La Liga's matchday 18 on January 4, 2026, at 12:15 Argentina time. The home team's goals came from Gonzalo García at 19' in the first half, and 4' and 37' in the second; Raúl Asencio at 10' in the second half; and Fran García at 47' in the second. Betis' Juan Hernández pulled one back at 20' in the second half.
The match displayed Real Madrid's dominance, with 59% possession, 20 shots on target versus 13 from the opponents, and 593 accurate passes compared to 374. There was a yellow card for Vinícius Júnior at 8' in the second half and another for Ángel Ortiz at 19' in the first; no reds were shown.
Franco Mastantuono, the 18-year-old Argentine, entered at the 31' mark of the second half replacing Vinícius Júnior, in a brief appearance that drew attention from Spanish media for his potential. Reports note his entry when the score was 3-0, after which the team extended the lead.
Starting lineups featured Thibaut Courtois; Federico Valverde, Raúl Asencio, Antonio Rüdiger, Álvaro Carreras; Rodrygo, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Jude Bellingham, Gonzalo García, and Vinícius Júnior for Real Madrid. Betis fielded Álvaro Valles; Ángel Ortiz, Marc Bartra, Natan, Ricardo Rodríguez; Nelson Deossa, Marc Roca, Antony, Pablo Fornals, Aitor Ruibal, and Juan Hernández.
This win helps Real Madrid stay second in the table behind Barcelona, while Betis holds sixth place. The Whites' next match is against Levante on January 17 at the Bernabéu.
