JAKARTA - Real Madrid manager Alvaro Arbeloa insists the LaLiga title race is not over after a shock 0-1 defeat against Getafe at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, early morning WIB, which left them four points behind leaders Barcelona.
Martin Satriano scored a spectacular goal in the first half and Los Blancos failed to take advantage of a number of opportunities. Getafe also won their first victory at the Santiago Bernabeu in 18 years.
The tense end of the match saw a clash between the two teams on the sidelines when the final whistle was blown. Before the incident, there was a moment when Franco Mastantuono was sent off in the 95th minute for protesting.
"No, of course not. There are still 36 points left. We have to fight to get them. Nobody will give up here, this is Real Madrid. Four points is the difference that we think we can catch up with," Arbeloa said in a press conference after the match.
The defeat to Getafe was Real Madrid's second consecutive loss in LaLiga, after they lost 1-2 at home to Osasuna on February 21, 2026.
Even so, Arbeloa insists that the hunt for the LaLiga title is not over.
"This is a game where we should have been able to play better. We had much clearer chances than them."
"However, football is not about what you deserve. Getafe did what they usually do. Nothing happened that we didn't expect," said Arbeloa.
Real Madrid will visit Celta Vigo on Saturday, March 7, 2026, WIB early morning, before hosting Manchester City in the 16th round of the Champions League next week.
"We have great players, a great squad, and players who will recover and help us a lot. We can do better things on the pitch. I understand the criticism after a defeat like this."
"We created chances to score. Can we play better? That's also true. I can't criticize the players' efforts. My job is to improve the team's game," said Arbeloa.
Meanwhile, the referee's report said Mastantuono received a red card for shouting "really embarrassing" twice to the referee.
"I don't know exactly what happened. However, he must have said something and it shouldn't have happened," said Arbeloa.
In addition to losing Mastantuono when facing Celta Vigo later, Los Blancos will also be without star striker Kylian Mbappe who suffered a knee injury and midfielder Jude Bellingham with a thigh problem.
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