In a stunning Copa del Rey upset, Segunda Division side Albacete eliminated Real Madrid with a 3-2 victory at the Estadio Carlos Belmonte, ruining Alvaro Arbeloa’s managerial debut following the departure of Xabi Alonso.
Despite goals from Franco Mastantuono and Gonzalo Garcia, Los Blancos were undone by a brace from Jefte Betancur, including a 94th-minute winner that sent the top-tier giants crashing out in the round of 16.
Taking full ownership of the defeat, Arbeloa stated, “If anyone is responsible for this defeat, it’s me, as I’m the one who made the decisions regarding the lineup, how we wanted to play, the changes, etc.”
The coach, who was without the injured Kylian Mbappe, remained defiant about the future, adding, “I said it yesterday. I’m not afraid of failure and if you want to call it that, I understand fully.
But if there is one thing I have learned in life, it is that failure is on the road to success and not in opposite directions.”