In one of the most improbable results in the history of the Copa del Rey, second-division strugglers Albacete Balompie eliminated Real Madrid with a 3-2 victory at a fog-drenched Carlos Belmonte stadium. The defeat marks a disastrous start for Alvaro Arbeloa, who was appointed head coach just 48 hours ago following the sacking of Xabi Alonso.
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Despite resting a galaxy of stars; including Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham, Real Madrid expected to navigate the Round of 16 tie with ease. Instead, they were outplayed by a team sitting 17th in the second division, suffering their third major blow in a single week.
The match began under a thick blanket of mist that reduced visibility to near zero for the first 20 minutes. As the fog lifted, the clarity of Real Madrid’s struggle became apparent. Arbeloa’s "B-team" heavy lineup, featuring academy graduates David Jimenez and Jorge Cestero, dominated possession (reaching 80%) but lacked any clinical edge.
The opening blow (42’): Albacete took a deserved lead when Javier Villar; a former Madrid academy product, thundered a header past Andriy Lunin from a corner.
The response (45+3’): On the brink of halftime, Franco Mastantuono pounced on a rebound after a Dean Huijsen header was saved, levelling the score and seemingly restoring order.
The second half saw Albacete refuse to retreat. In the 82nd minute, 32-year-old Jefte Betancor capitalized on a defensive scramble to put the hosts ahead 2-2.
The drama reached a fever pitch in stoppage time. Real Madrid thought they had escaped embarrassment when Gonzalo Garcia headed home a 91st-minute equalizer. However, four minutes into added time, Betancor broke free on a counter-attack. After his initial effort was blocked by Dani Carvajal, he gathered himself and curled a sublime strike into the top corner, sparking a pitch invasion and the greatest night in Albacete’s history.
“At this club, even a draw is bad, it’s a tragedy, so imagine a defeat like this. Especially when you lose to a lower-ranked opponent. If anyone is responsible, it’s me, because I’m the one who made the decisions about the lineup, how we wanted to play, and the substitutions. I can only thank the players for the welcome they’ve given me and for getting them back in shape physically and mentally.” said Alvaro Arbeloa
Real Madrid’s decision to rest Mbappe, Bellingham, Rodrygo, and Courtois backfired spectacularly. Arbeloa’s insistence that the "squad players should be good enough" fell flat against an Albacete side that showed more heart and tactical discipline. With the Spanish Super Cup lost on Sunday and the Copa del Rey exit today, Arbeloa now faces immense pressure to close the four-point gap in La Liga.
The "Alonso hangover" is real, and for a club that measures success only in trophies, the 2025-26 season is rapidly approaching a tipping point.
