Things are not going well for Spanish club Real Madrid recently. They lost the year's first El Clasico to rivals FC Barcelona on Sunday, January 11, 2026 when the two sides met in the finals of the Spanish Super Cup. Following the loss, the club sacked its coach Xabi Alonso.
Spanish manager Alvaro Arbeloa was quick to take charge but suffered a shocking loss to second division club, Albacete in the Copa del Rey, on his debut match as head coach.
On Wednesday, January 14, 2026, Real Madrid faced second division team Albacete in the final 16 of the Copa del Rey tournament. However, the Spanish giants were left humiliated after they suffered a shock defeat. The match also marked Alvaro Arbeloa first match in charge.
Albacete are currently placed 17th in the 'Segunda Division' and their massive win against Real Madrid was a huge boost to their confidence. The team were on the front-foot all throughout the night as they opened the scoresheet just before half-time when Javi Villar struck the net at 42'. Real Madrid's Franco Mastantuono equalised minutes later at 45+3', just before the whistle rang.
The second half was tense and Albicete's Jefté Betancor broke the deadlock at 82'. The drama began at when the match went to injury time and Gonzalo Garcia equalised for Real Madrid at 90+1'. For Albicete, the match was not yet over and Jefté struck once again at 90+4' to put the match to bed and win it for the club.
Newly deputed coach Alvaro Arbeloa definitely did not have the expected start to his campaign. Following the loss, the manager said, "Here at this club, a draw is already bad – it’s a tragedy. Imagine a defeat like this, it’s painful. I’m sure all our fans feel the same way. Even more so when it happens against a team from a lower division, although we already know here how tough any opponent can be".
Taking the responsibility for the loss on his first day at work he added, "If anyone is responsible and to blame for this outcome, it’s clearly me, the one who made the decisions regarding the lineup, how we wanted to play, the substitutions. I can only thank the players for the way they welcomed me, for the effort they put in today".
For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.