Real Madrid ended their La Liga campaign on Saturday evening with a goalless draw with Real Betis, although hardly anyone noticed that Toni Kroos' farewell to the Santiago Bernabeu took precedence over everything else. It was a game that ended in one inning and had another amazing statistic.
Betis became the first team to shut out Real Madrid since Rayo Vallecano in early November, ending a run of 38 matches in which Los Blancos had scored in every game, according to MD. They have also gone 32 games unbeaten since Atletico Madrid inflicted their only league defeat of the season, the third-best run in history, leaving them just four games behind Ernesto Valverde's Barcelona, who have gone 36 games without losing.
As Ewan McTeer pointed out, Real Madrid avoiding defeat against Betis would mean ending an entire season without losing at the Bernabéu. This is the first time that the team has not lost at home since 1997, which is equivalent to a series that it has not achieved in 27 years.
Real Madrid went an entire season without defeat at home for the first time since 1996-97!
(Which is what you would have seen if you read my entry in the Bold Expectations section of… @Madrid Administration The pre-season roundtable we did…) pic.twitter.com/u69WhgXYg7– Ewan McTeer (@emctear) May 25, 2024
At home this season, Real Madrid won 20 times and tied five times, scoring 62 goals and conceding 15 goals. Manager Carlo Ancelotti has been keen to emphasize the defensive improvements this season and the 13 clean sheets at home speak to the difference between this season and last.
