‘At Real Madrid, a draw is a tragedy’: Arbeloa takes full blame after shock Copa del Rey exit to 2nd-tier Albacete in nightmare debut

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Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, left, and head coach Alvaro Arbeloa during the Copa del Rey round of 16 soccer match between Albacete and Real Madrid, in Albacete. (AP Photo)

Álvaro Arbeloa’s reign at Real Madrid started off with the LaLiga giants being dumped out of the Copa del Rey in the round of 16 stage by a second-division club Albacete after a 3-2 defeat on Wednesday.

“At Real Madrid, even a draw is bad, a tragedy, imagine a defeat like this, especially against a lower-division opponent. If anyone is responsible, it’s me, as I’m the one who made the decisions regarding the lineup, how we wanted to play, and the substitutions. I can only thank the players for the welcome they gave me and help them recover physically and mentally,” Alvaro Arbeloa said after the game.

What would have made matters worse is that Albacete are currently fighting to stay afloat in the second division, they find themselves in 17th position.

Real Madrid looked like they would hold on with the scoreline reading 2-2 after Gonzalo García had scored in added time for Real. But a dagger to the heart of the LaLiga giants and Arbeloa from Jefté Betancor four minutes into stoppage time sealed the club’s fate.

THE SCENES IN ALBACETE AFTER THEY BEAT REAL MADRID FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!

REAL MADRID ARE OUT OF THE COPA DEL REY 🤯 pic.twitter.com/8WwIE67qD1

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 14, 2026

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Arbeloa copped some flak after the defeat, particularly for his use of some B-team players at the expense of top stars, including Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham, Thibaut Courtois and Rodrygo, who were rested. One of the stars who did play in the game, Vinícius Júnior, was mostly ineffective as Madrid had difficulty creating scoring opportunities.

Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior reacts at the end of the Copa del Rey round of 16 soccer match between Albacete and Real Madrid, in Albacete on Wednesday. (AP Photo) Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior reacts at the end of the Copa del Rey round of 16 soccer match between Albacete and Real Madrid, in Albacete on Wednesday. (AP Photo)

Arbeloa said he had “no regrets” about his squad choice.

“I was convinced that the squad was the right one,” Arbeloa said. “It was a great team, the starting lineup and the bench. I have a very talented squad and it’s not easy for them to do everything I’ve asked of them in just one day with a new coach. I feel ultimately responsible.”

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Real Madrid players react after Albacete scored its second goal during the Copa del Rey round of 16 soccer match between Albacete and Real Madrid, in Albacete. (AP Photo)

Arbeloa went on to add: “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. This defeat will make me better and it will make us all better. A starting point where we have a lot of room for improvement. I have failed many times in my life and I have suffered even worse cup eliminations than this one. I’m looking forward to returning to Valdebebas tomorrow to work with my players and prepare for Saturday’s game with the greatest of dedication so that things go much better for us than they did today.”

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