16 January,2026 09:02 AM IST | Madrid | Agencies
Alvaro Arbeloa
Real Madrid's new coach Alvaro Arbeloa had a shocking start to his tenure as Real Madrid were dumped out of the Copa del Rey after a 2-3 Round-of-16 loss to second-tier Albacete.
"At this club, a draw is bad enough, a tragedy. Imagine a defeat like this. It's painful and I'm sure that all the fans are hurt. If anyone is responsible for this defeat, it's me," said a candid Arbeloa, who took the reins from Xabi Alonso on Tuesday.
Albacete, currently 17th in the Spanish second division, took the lead through Javi Villar (42nd min), but Franco Mastantuono equalised just before half-time. Jefte (82nd min) put the hosts back ahead and then scored the winner in injury time after Gonzalo Garcia's 91st-minute goal looked to have forced extra time for Real Madrid.
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