JAKARTA - Real Madrid is even more ambitious after sacking coach Xabi Alonso. And it's a pity for coach Alvaro Arbeloa because in his debut, Madrid was eliminated in the 16th round of the Copa del Rey. Ironically, Madrid lost 3-2 against a team from the second division, Albacete.
Arbeloa's bitter debut when he took Vinicius Junior and others to the home of the LaLiga 2 team at the Carlos Belmonte Stadium, Thursday, January 15, 2026 WIB. Madrid, who were mentally exhausted after the defeat in the final of the Supercopa de Espana or Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia, had to compete in the Copa del Rey.
In a condition where the team was hit after losing in El Clasico against Barcelona, the club then dismissed Alonso. Instead of rising, the team was even worse off when fighting in the Copa del Rey.
In that match, Arbeloa did not field the best squad. Almost all the pillar players did not appear and some others sat on the bench. There was no Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo to goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
However, the former Real Madrid youth coach still maintains key players such as Vinicius Jr and defender Dean Huijsen as starters. Furthermore, he gave the opportunity to young children who were led by Gonzalo Garcia.
Only, they failed to dampen the high fighting spirit from Albacete. Ironically, Albacete, who once played in the highest class, LaLiga Spain, actually experienced a setback in the league. They are still struggling at the bottom of the table, ranking 17th and only one point ahead of the team in the relegation zone.
Madrid's failure was a surprise in the Copa del Rey. Even Arbaloa admitted the defeat was a tragedy.
"For this club, a draw is a bad result. If this is the case, it is clearly a tragedy. Imagine a defeat like this. Of course this is very painful," Arbeloa said as quoted by france24.
"I'm sure the fans feel the same way. Moreover, we are facing opponents from the lower division even though we also know that the opponent is not easy to face," he said.
Arbeloa also stated that he was responsible for the failure. Including the decision on who was brought down in the match. He also still appreciated the players even though they had to be eliminated in the Copa del Rey.
"Whoever has to be responsible and deserves to be blamed is certainly me. The reason is that I made the decision on who would be the starting line-up. How we should play and player substitutions," he said.
"I also remain grateful to the players. How they welcomed me and how they tried their best in this match," said Arbeloa again.
In that match, Arbeloa included two players from his reserve team/youth team, defensive midfielder Jorge Cestero and right back David Jimenez. Even though he appeared with a backup team, Madrid was able to dominate the game. Vinicius Jr threatened Albacete's goal. Only his kick still soared high.
After Vinicius Jr failed to take advantage of the opportunity, there was no further attack from Madrid. On the contrary, the hosts made a surprise by overcoming the deadlock when Javi Villar broke into Andriy Lunin's goal in the 42nd minute. Villar, who escaped Franco Mastantuono's control, managed to greet the ball from the corner kick. Score 1-0 for Albacete.
But the advantage did not last long. Mastantuono immediately equalized the score as well after he greeted the corner kick in injury time. The shot from close range by the young Argentine changed the score to 1-1 which lasted until the first half ended.
In the second half, Albacete maintained an effective and efficient game to keep up with Madrid, who had superior individual quality. Even the team coached by Alberto Gonzalez was able to frustrate the Madrid players because they couldn't break through the opponent's defense.
When Madrid did not stop putting pressure, Albacete managed to steal a goal in the 82nd minute. This time Jefte Betancor managed to break Lunin's goal so that the score changed to 2-1.
Madrid refused to surrender and continued to play offensively to catch up with the goal. Their efforts could still bear fruit when the match entered injury time. Garcia successfully broke into the opponent's goal in the 90th minute.
The goal before the break gave the Madrid players a renewed spirit. At least, they survived the threat of failure. However, Arbeloa's team only felt happy for a short time.
Jefte sensationally managed to defeat Lunin for the second time when the match was two minutes away. His soaring shot was not reached by Lunin who changed the score to 3-2. The goal made Albacete a record because for the first time in the club's history beat Madrid.
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