The Álvaro Arbeloa era at Real Madrid kicked off with a shock 3–2 defeat to second-tier side Albacete, ending the club’s Copa del Rey campaign in utter embarrassment.
Albacete, who sit 17th in La Liga 2, came into the fixture having never defeated Real Madrid. Yet Javi Villar’s first-half goal and Jefté Betancor’s brace were enough to send the Spanish giants packing just three days after they parted ways with Xabi Alonso.
Franco Mastantuono and Gonzalo García got on the scoresheet for Real Madrid, but the scoreline does not accurately tell the story of the team’s stunningly poor attack that failed to create much of anything in open play against such an inferior opponent.
Following on from their Spanish Super Cup final defeat, the 15-time European champions have now said goodbye to two of the four trophies they can win this season in less than a week.
Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Albacete (4-3-3)
GK: Andriy Lunin—5.1: Unforgivable performance. Arguably should have saved Albacete’s second and stood watching the match-winner go in. Showed why he has not kept a clean sheet this season.
RB: David Jiménez—6.4: Outclassed by Dani Bernabéu down the right flank. Still, strung together pass after pass and created one of the most dangerous chances of the game. A bright performance with undoubted room for improvement.
CB: Raúl Asencio—5.8: Bounced back well after what looked to be a nasty head injury early on. Needed to take more initiative on defending set pieces.
CB: Dean Huijsen—6.9: Unlucky not to score. Underwhelmed defensively, though the team clearly missed his speed when David Alaba came onto the pitch.
LB: Fran García—7.4: Will question Arbeloa’s decision to replace him in just the 65th minute after a lively performance. Does not bode well for his future if his new boss prefers natural midfielder Eduardo Camavinga to him on the left flank.
CM: Federico Valverde—6.8: Mustered a few half-hearted attempts from distance, but otherwise unimaginative with the ball at his feet. A shadow of his best self in the midfield.
CM: Jorge Cestero—6.4: Dished out several strong, well-timed tackles and was tidy in possession. Lacked pace in transition, but a solid outing for the Castilla product.
CM: Arda Güler—7.7: Delivered beautiful service all night long, including the two corners that created both of Real Madrid’s goals. Needed more creativity from him in open play.
RW: Franco Mastantuono—7.2: Scored his first goal since September. Looked sharp and played with an intensity some of his teammates lacked.
ST: Gonzalo García—7.5: Hard to celebrate his goal when he missed an unmarked header earlier in the game, only had nine touches in the first half and all but assisted Albacete’s second.
LW: Vinicius Junior—7.0: Found it difficult to carve out any space with two markers clinging to him—and fouling him—every time he touched the ball. Mustered a measly one shot on target and never looked a threat to score.
| Substitute | Rating (Out of 10) |
|---|---|
| David Alaba (65’ for Huijsen) | 6.0 |
| Eduardo Camavinga (65’ for F. García) | 6.6 |
| Dani Carvajal (77’ for Jiménez) | 6.0 |
| César Palacios (77’ for Mastantuono) | 6.4 |
| Manuel Ángel (86’ for Cestero) | N/A |
Subs not used: Fran González (GK), Sergio Mestre, Joan Martínez, Dani Ceballos.
Albacete (5-3-2)
Starting XI: Raúl Lizoain; Lorenzo Aguado, Javi Moreno, Javi Villar, Carlos Neva, Dani Bernabéu; Capi, Ale Meléndez, Antonio Pacheco; Dani Escriche, José Carlos Lazo.
Subs used: Agus Medina, Jefté Betancor, Riki Rodríguez, Jonathan Gómez, Pepe Sánchez.
Player of the Match: Jefté Betancor (Albacete)
Real Madrid Player of the Match: Arda Güler
Albacete 3–2 Real Madrid—How It Unfolded at the Estadio Carlos Belmonte
Under a thick blanket of fog, Real Madrid kicked off their first game with Arbeloa on the touchline. The new boss left a handful of his best players back in Valdebebas, including Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham, and instead awarded fringe players and Castilla standouts the chance to impress at the Estadio Carlos Belmonte.
Even without their strongest XI, Los Blancos were expected to dominate in the early stages against Albacete. Except the hosts saw plenty of the ball and limited their opponents to just one shot on target in the opening 26 minutes.
Madrid soon grew frustrated, settling for ambitious shots from distance that had no chance of challenging goalkeeper Raúl Lizoain. A lack of creativity plagued them, looking positively incapable of breaking down the defense of a second-tier side.
By the time the game reached the 35-minute mark, Arbeloa’s men had just four touches inside the opposition’s penalty area. Albacete, meanwhile, competed fiercely and won themselves a corner on the brink of halftime. José Carlos Lazo whipped in a delicious ball that Javi Villar headed home to put his side up 1–0.
Just when it looked like Los Blancos would head down the tunnel trailing by a goal, they produced a bit of set piece magic of their own in first-half stoppage time. Arda Güler’s pinpoint delivery from the corner flag found the head of Dean Huijsen, who forced a brilliant save from Lizoain. The rebound fell right into the path of Mastantuono, though, and the Argentine slotted home the first goal of the Arbeloa era.
Unlike their tentative start, Real Madrid kicked off the second half with their sights firmly set on goal. Albacete did well to withstand the early pressure, but it felt like only a matter of time before the Spanish giants bagged the go-ahead goal.
The golden opportunity fell to Gonzalo García in the 68th minute. Güler picked out the Spaniard with an inviting cross, but he was left disappointed when the unmarked No. 9 sent his header over the crossbar.
The visitors would go on to rue the missed chance. In a wretched clearance attempt from a short corner, Gonzalo headed the ball right to Jefté Betancor, who smashed home a volley to put his side up 2–1 in the 82nd minute. Andriy Lunin got two hands on the ball but failed to keep it out of his net.
Albacete could almost taste their historic victory, but Gonzalo made up for his defensive blunder with an equalizer in the 91st minute. For what felt like umpteenth time, Güler delivered a perfect ball from the corner flag, and the striker calmly headed it into the back of the net.
Real Madrid’s heads were already in extra time when the hosts sprung to life on the counter attack just three minutes later. Betancor tried his luck with a lofted right-footed effort that sailed into the far right corner, all while Lunin just stood and watched from his near post.
The final whistle soon sounded, leaving Real Madrid absolutely embarrassed and in shock as their Copa del Rey campaign came to an end.
Albacete vs. Real Madrid Halftime Stats
| Statistic | Albacete | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 22% | 78% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 0.26 | 0.56 |
| Total Shots | 5 | 6 |
| Shots on Target | 2 | 3 |
| Big Chances | 0 | 2 |
| Pass Accuracy | 72% | 90% |
| Fouls | 4 | 5 |
| Corners | 1 | 5 |
Albacete vs. Real Madrid Full Time Statistics
| Statistic | Albacete | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 22% | 78% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 0.65 | 1.32 |
| Total Shots | 12 | 20 |
| Shots on Target | 5 | 5 |
| Big Chances | 1 | 3 |
| Pass Accuracy | 75% | 90% |
| Fouls | 12 | 12 |
| Corners | 3 | 11 |
READ THE LATEST LA LIGA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND GOSSIP
- Racing vs. Barcelona—Copa del Rey: Preview, Predictions and Lineups
- Transfer Rumors: Rashford Scuppers €100 Million Man Utd Deal; Klopp Plots Vinicius Jr Sale
- Real Madrid Put Full Trust in Alvaro Arbeloa With Unexpected New Deal—Report
- How to Watch Albacete vs. Real Madrid on TV, Live Stream: Copa del Rey
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Albacete: Arbeloa Debut Ends in Humiliation .
