Xabi Alonso was supposed to spend Wednesday night in a Castile–La Mancha dugout, watching his Real Madrid team sweep aside Albacete with relative ease. Instead, he spent it on probably one of the plushest armchairs your feeble imagination can conceive, quietly chuckling through a mouthful of leftover Xmas chocolates.
That’s because Los Blancos were suffering a generational cup exit at the hands of a second-division team, thanks to a 94th-minute winner that ensured Jefte Betancor will never need to pay for his own pint in the city again… two days after they sacked Alonso from his position as manager.
