Albacete Stuns Real Madrid as Arbeloa Switches to “Champions Mode”
Good evening and what a night it was in Spanish football, because Albacete have delivered one of those Copa del Rey moments that people will talk about for years.
At the Carlos Belmonte, a packed stadium watched a fearless Albacete side knock Real Madrid out of the Copa del Rey with a dramatic 3–2 victory. This was not a fluke and it was not just about Madrid rotating players. Albacete competed, believed and took their chance and the result sent shockwaves through Spanish football.
For Real Madrid, this match marked the debut of Álvaro Arbeloa on the bench and it could hardly have been a tougher start. With only one training session and limited preparation time, Arbeloa made bold decisions. Big names like Bellingham, Mbappé and Rodrygo stayed in Madrid. Young players from the academy were trusted on a big stage. And for long spells, Madrid struggled to control the game.
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Albacete sensed it. They pressed with intensity, attacked with confidence and were clinical when it mattered most. The hero of the night was Jefté Betancor, whose story feels almost unreal. Just days earlier, he was close to boarding a plane to Thailand for a lucrative move. Instead, he stayed, played and scored twice against Real Madrid, becoming the face of one of the great Copa surprises.
After the final whistle, there was no hiding the disappointment on the Madrid bench. But Arbeloa’s message was clear and firm. He refused to dwell on the defeat. He spoke about responsibility, about learning from failure and about moving forward immediately. In his words, Real Madrid are now in “Champions mode.”
He accepted the blame, defended his squad and insisted that setbacks like this are part of building success. For a club like Madrid, there is no time to feel sorry for yourself. La Liga and the Champions League are still very much alive and the focus shifts there right now.
For Albacete, though, this night is pure history. A second-division side eliminating Real Madrid, at home, with belief and bravery, is exactly why the Copa del Rey matters. It reminds everyone that football still has room for magic, courage and the unexpected.
So as Madrid turn the page and regroup for bigger battles ahead, Albacete celebrate a night they will never forget. One team looks ahead to Europe and the other writes its name into Copa folklore. That’s football and that’s the beauty of this competition.
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