Real Madrid warmed up for their Champions League showdown at Celtic Park with a narrow win over Real Betis.
Carlo Ancelotti's reigning La Liga champions consolidated their position at the table summit after four games as they maintained a 100 per cent record in the early weeks of their title defence. Goals from Vinicius Jr. and Rodrygo in either half were enough to beat second-placed Betis, who equalised through Sergio Canales in the first period.
A bright Betis start was made to count for nothing by the class of Vinicius, who latched on to a ball over the top before cooly lofting a delightful finish over keeper Rui Silva. But the visitors refused to go away and were level by the 17-minute mark through ex-Real star Canales, a goal conceded in disappointingly simple fashion for Ancelotti's team. A throw into the Real box was laid off to the attacking midfielder and he finished beyond Thibaut Courtois. It made for a fascinating contest from there on out, with the home side shifting through the gears as the half progressed.
But Betis made it to the interval with the scores level and it took a second-half change from Ancelotti to yield a crucial second for his team. The manager introduced Fede Valverde and it was his driving run and pass which set up Rodrygo to drill home the winner - his first goal of the season.
Celtic, meanwhile, prepared for Tuesday night's blockbuster in perfect fashion. Ange Postecoglou 's side opened a five-point gap at the Premiership summit by demolishing rivals Rangers 4-0.
Liel Abada inspired the rout with a double, while goals from Jota and David Turnbull piled on the misery for the Ibrox side. Both Celtic and Los Blancos head into their group stage opener with flawless records domestically - ensuring something's got to give in Glasgow's east end.
