Albacete 3-2 Real Madrid: Report & Full Match Highlights As The Woes Continue
What has been a tough few days for Real Madrid got even worse as they were eliminated from the Copa del Rey. They lost 3-2 to Albacete, who sit 17th in La Liga 2, thanks to a late stoppage-time winner from Jefte Betancor.
Alvaro Arbeloa's first game was tough, and despite so many changes, the team should have had enough to win. However, the home team was excellent.
Los Blancos came from behind twice in the game through Franco Mastantuono and Gonzalo Garcia. They could not for the third time as they crashed out of two cup competitions in four days.
Real Madrid shocked by La Liga 2 side
As expected, Real Madrid controlled the possession in the opening stages in front of the lively home fans. The La Liga side looked to show their dominance early and carved out some long-range efforts. However, nothing was clear-cut, and at the same time, they were open to a counterattack.
There was thick fog across the stadium, making it difficult to track the ball. It wasn't a problem for the home team, who began to grow into the game. With not much action in the penalty area, it needed something special to break the deadlock, or a set piece.
It came from the latter, and it was the home team who took a shock lead. A corner from the right was brilliantly headed home by defender Javi Villar. The scenes inside the Estadio Carlos Belmonte were eclectic, with the second-tier side leading the great Real Madrid.
The jubilant atmosphere didn't last long, with Arbeloa seeing Franco Mastantuono score the first goal as head coach. The young Argentine scored in the third minute of stoppage time, reacting first to prod home the rebound after Dean Huijsen's header was saved.
😶🌫️🌫️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/vD2RJeR55G
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) January 14, 2026
The second half started, and Arbeloa's team talk looked to have some impact. The away team looked to turn the screw and created several half-chances, all blocked by Albacete defenders who were throwing bodies in front of everything.
Once again, the home team weathered the early storm and grew into the game. The La Liga 2 side were fighting for everything and did not give Los Blancos a free ride. That showed, and with 20 minutes left, it was still anybody's game.
With the score tight, Albacete started to look for a winning goal, and after a save from Andriy Lunin denied them, he could not keep out a strike from Jefte Betancor in the 82nd minute. Could a shock be on the cards? Gonzalo Garcia headed a late equalizer, making it seem as if it would not be the case, but there was another twist.
It was Betancor again, lifting the ball past Lunin, with the Ukrainian clearly not getting his angles right. A huge shock for Real Madrid, as they crash out of the Copa del Rey.
Albacete vs Real Madrid full match highlights
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Next up for Real Madrid is an early kick-off on Saturday, January 17. They face second-from-the-bottom side Levante. Then it's Champions League action as they welcome Monaco to the Bernabeu.
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-031bbeb5612ca252e2129722373fa56d.png "Jordan Merritt")
Jordan Merritt is a staff writer for Real Madrid On SI. Before joining On SI, he wrote at Fansided, covering Ole Miss football, basketball, and baseball. He has also written for YardBarker, Heavy Sports, and the official EFL site. Merritt is a big sports fan, spending most of his weekends watching Soccer, the NFL, the NBA, college football/basketball, and others. Before starting his career as a freelance writer, Merritt was an Engineer for over 10 years. He lives in West Yorkshire, England, and is keenly interested in sports trading cards.
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