In the 38th round of the 2023-24 La Liga season, Real Madrid sat down at the Bernabeu Stadium at 3:00 a.m. Beijing time on May 26, 2024, and started a key battle with Real Betis. This game has a special significance for Real Madrid, because the midfielder Kroos will leave the team at the end of the season, and after the end of the UEFA Cup officially retired, this game has also become his home farewell game in Real Madrid.
At the beginning of the match, Real Madrid and Betis both showed excellent athleticism, and both sides went back and forth, with frequent transitions between offense and defense. In the 39th minute, Betis got a free kick opportunity, Juan Miranda punished the ball to the penalty area, Cardoso shot the goal. But then VAR intervened and the referee ruled that the Betis player was offside first and the goal was invalid.
At the start of the second half, Real Madrid continued to maintain a tight defense against Betis. Although Betis tried to attack many times, they were all solved by Real Madrid's backline one by one. In the 85th minute, Kroos was given the opportunity to take a free kick, and he took the penalty himself. The ball made a beautiful arc in the air, but in the end, Betis goalkeeper bravely pounced out, missed the opportunity to rewrite the score. In the 86th minute, with time running out, Kroos was replaced by teammate Ceballos. The fans gave a standing ovation and sent their best wishes to the decorated player. All Real Madrid players and coaching staff members went up to hug him and witnessed this touching moment together.
Real Madrid showed great tactical quality and team cohesion in this game, and with excellent defense and tenacity, they managed to achieve the feat of an undefeated season with a 0-0 draw against Betis at home.
