Troy Parrott's goal sends Real Betis to victory over Real Madrid

Troy Parrott could hardly have chosen a sweeter setting for his first La Liga goal. The Dublin-born striker came off the bench to score the winner against Real Madrid, the club managed by José Mourinho, who gave Parrott his Premier League debut as a teenager.

Parrott had started on the bench for the second time in his first three league appearances after joining Real Betis on Aug. 20. His early adjustment to Spain followed an uneven path. After moving to AZ Alkmaar, he made four appearances without scoring, then struck four times against Heerenveen in his fifth match.

Mourinho handed Parrott his Tottenham debut at 17 in December 2019. He appeared late in a 5-0 win over Burnley and received the match ball from Mourinho, although Son Heung-min had scored a hat-trick. Mourinho later criticized Parrott's attitude, and a series of loan spells followed before the Ireland international rebuilt his form at Excelsior and AZ Alkmaar.

Against Madrid, Betis spent much of the match defending. Parrott entered in the 69th minute and immediately energized the home crowd by dispossessing Denzel Dumfries. Two minutes later, he shot just over from 20 yards.

The decisive moment arrived in the 81st minute. Courtois made a world-class save from Deossa after Fornals' corner, but Parrott reacted first and drove the rebound into the net. Madrid then saw a goal disallowed, while Valles saved Mbappé's injury-time penalty. Mourinho and the visitors appealed for a retake, but the decision stood. The goal completed a remarkable turnaround after Parrott had been criticized in Seville media for missing a chance in the previous weekend's 5-2 defeat.