Arbeloa's Real Madrid lose 3-2 at Albacete in Copa del Rey debut

Álvaro Arbeloa’s debut as Real Madrid manager ended in a shock 3-2 Copa del Rey defeat at Albacete Balompié’s Carlos Belmonte, where Jefté Betancor scored an outrageous winner with a single second to go.

Albacete, 17th in the second division, won through a goal from Javi Villar and two from Betancor, while Madrid twice levelled from set plays including strikes by Franco Mastantuono and García. The match featured periods of thick fog that made play hard to see and a late equaliser by Madrid that briefly seemed to force extra time before Betancor produced the decisive moment.

The defeat came three days after Madrid lost the Super Cup final, two days after Xabi Alonso was sacked and one day after Arbeloa took his first session. Several senior players were left in Madrid, with absentees listed as Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Éder Militão, Álvaro Carreras, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Antonio Rüdiger, Rodrygo, Ferland Mendy and Thibaut Courtois, and Courtois condemned an online video that appeared to show Albacete fans chanting racist abuse aimed at Vinícius Júnior.

Arbeloa said 'At this club every defeat is a tragedy' and insisted 'Failure is the road to success', adding he would choose the same team again and that he was 'not afraid' of failure. Albacete coach Alberto González said 'We're euphoric, this is a dream.' For Madrid, the article concluded, 'the nightmare still isn't over.'

Key Topics

Sports, Real Madrid, Albacete Balompié, Alvaro Arbeloa, Jefte Betancor, Copa Del Rey