After Real Betis defeated Real Madrid 1-0, Betis defender Bartra was interviewed by media in the mixed zone.

First, you've just beaten Real Madrid, and now securing a Champions League spot is within reach. And the match ended with a heroic display from your teammate Álvaro Vallés. That's not something you experience every day, is it?

Yes, I'd say it could even be called a historic victory. Because in those final moments, he saved a penalty, and then we cleared the ball and defended against several chances they created. I think we definitely have reason to be pleased about that.

But more importantly, we also need to understand that this is the path we must follow. We can't be complacent in any match, no matter who we're facing. We have to maintain this intensity when we're out of possession.

Today was tough for you, coming on as a substitute is completely different from starting from the beginning, and you had to face Real Madrid. How did you adjust to the match after coming on?

It's true, Real Madrid's attacks often come in waves, and once they start applying pressure, it's intense. And it happened that when I came on, that's when they were pressing their hardest.

I was thinking at that moment: "Well, I haven't warmed up much, my body isn't fully loose, and now I have to face their forwards."

But I remember one moment where I blocked a chance from Kylian with my chest on the goal line. That play gave me a lot of confidence, helped me get immediately into the match and stay focused. Because once you're on the pitch, you always have to concentrate and give everything to defend.

What's your take on that final penalty incident? The debate is whether you entered the box too early before Mbappé's shot or not.

I always try to wait until the opponent actually shoots before I move, and it's the same when we're attacking. Then I try to be the first to reach where the ball lands. I think those details usually decide everything.

Honestly, if he'd shot half a second later, I probably would have already been in the box. But I tried to time it perfectly, waiting until he actually took his shot before stepping into the area. The result turned out well for me, thank God.

Do you know how Llorente is doing now?

No, I don't know. I haven't had time to check—I came straight here.

No worries. This was a very important victory today. There were some doubts before this; did you silence those doubts with today's performance?

Absolutely. A few days ago I said we'd played many good matches before, and I hoped the Levante match was just an anomaly. Today we also proved how to play without the ball. When we decide to press high, we have to do it with enough intensity. If we can't, then we should maintain a very compact shape. Because if you press high without enough intensity, everything behind falls apart, and the opponent starts creating chances. This happens regardless of who you're facing.

Today everyone saw us maintain the necessary intensity without the ball. Currently in La Liga, any team can give you problems. Today we once again proved that when everyone defends together like a family, defending becomes much easier. And when facing Real Madrid, we always have some chances of our own.

Speaking of Real Madrid, what do you think of the referee's decisions today? They complained after the match about some situations in the final minutes, including the penalty and the disallowed goal.

I think that's why VAR exists. It can prove that the goal was actually offside, and it can also prove that after I jumped in, I won the ball fairly, so that play was legal.

Maybe in the past we would have argued more about these things. But now with these images, we should accept the result, that's it.

Is there any frustration? Because at the national level, as usual, people talk more about "Real Madrid lost" than "Betis won".

Maybe people prefer to talk about what's more newsworthy. I think Real Madrid played a very good match today, they really played well, but so did Betis. Today the result went our way, we got the victory. And I remember—I think we hadn't beaten them at home in 5 years. I don't think that's easy at all.

Let me tell you what Mourinho just said. He said today you "got lucky," that you were aiming for a draw but got a win instead. He also said his players were a bit naive, and you played more experienced. For instance, early in the match, one of his players fell in front of their bench, and it looked like they needed an ambulance, but then nothing happened.

Well, I've watched his documentary, and I know sometimes he likes to distract by talking about other things. I think... how do I put this, anyway he's an excellent coach. And I prefer to talk about Betis, about the victory we achieved, rather than talk about other things. In any case, I always have great respect for him because he's a very good coach.

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