Real Madrid’s turbulent season took another painful turn as Alvaro Arbeloa’s debut as head coach ended in Copa del Rey elimination. Los Blancos were knocked out in the round of 16 after a dramatic 3-2 loss to second-division side Albacete on Wednesday night.
Playing at the Carlos Belmonte Stadium for the first time since 2005, Madrid dominated possession but failed to translate control into goals. Despite holding the ball for 78 percent of the match, the Spanish giants were repeatedly punished for defensive lapses and poor finishing.
“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕,” 𝒂 𝒇𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝑴𝒂𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒆. “𝑾𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔.”
Drama, Fog, and Goals in a Chaotic Night
Madrid fell behind in the 42nd minute when Albacete midfielder Xavi Villar powered home a header from a corner. The visitors responded in stoppage time, as Franco Mastantuono scored his second goal in 18 appearances after a rebound from a Dean Huijsen header.
The second half delivered even more drama. Albacete regained the lead in the 81st minute, with Jefet Betancur finishing from close range after Madrid failed to clear their lines. Just when defeat seemed inevitable, Gonzalo García headed in Arda Güler’s cross in added time to make it 2-2.
But the final blow came moments later. Betancur struck again after his first effort was blocked, sealing a historic win for the hosts and sending their fans into raptures.
“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚,” 𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝒍𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒆𝒕𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅. “𝑩𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝑴𝒂𝒅𝒓𝒊𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆.”
Possession Without Precision for Real Madrid
Despite creating 20 shots, Madrid managed only five on target, matching Albacete’s accuracy despite the hosts attempting fewer efforts overall. Several key players were missing for Madrid, and their lack of sharpness in front of goal proved costly.
The match was also briefly halted by heavy fog, while Vinícius Júnior, making his 350th Copa del Rey appearance, was subjected to racist chants early in the game.
For Albacete, who sit 17th in Spain’s second tier, the victory marked a historic achievement as they reached the quarter-finals for the first time.
For Real Madrid and Alvaro Arbeloa, however, it was a harsh reminder that rebuilding confidence and consistency will take time — and patience is already in short supply at the Bernabéu.
