Zidane laments Real Madrid's home form after loss to Real Betis

Things aren't working for Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu, and Zinedine Zidane knows it.

Speaking after Real Madrid was surprised by Real Betis Balompie in La Liga, Zidane appealed for calm but acknowledged that Los Blancos must alter their home form. Their 1-0 defeat marked the third league game in a row in which they failed to win on home soil, ended a 73-match scoring run, and left them seventh in the standings, seven points behind Barcelona.

"The ball just didn't want to go in for us," Zidane told reporters, according to Reuters. "If you score one chance it's a totally different game, but when it doesn't want to go in, results like this can happen. We need to remain calm, but it's just two points from nine at home. I feel for the players, the effort they've put in. When the opponent scores like that at the end it hurts. Next time we have a game at home we have to ensure that we do everything we can to win and change this bad run."

Real Betis did what 35 clubs from 18 countries had tried over 73 games and six competitions, according to the Guardian's Sid Lowe. The Andalusian club ensured that Real Madrid didn't benefit from 60 percent of possession or 27 shots, and the game marked Los Blancos' first game without a goal in almost 18 months.

The front pages of Spain's newspapers on Thursday referenced the seven-point gap between Real Madrid and Barcelona, while Sport ran with the headline: "BatacaZZo!"

Real Madrid's home results in La Liga this season include a 2-2 draw versus Valencia CF and a 1-1 draw against Levante UD. Los Blancos will be hoping that the fourth time is the charm Oct. 1, when they host RCD Espanyol.