Real Madrid knocked out of Copa del Rey by Albacete in Arbeloa’s managerial debut

Real Madrid’s crisis worsened after they suffered a monumental 3-2 defeat against Albacete in the Copa del Rey round of 16 last night.

Alvaro Arbeloa’s managerial debut resulted in Madrid failing against a second-division team to exit their second tournament in the space of a few days.

Javi Villar struck home from a corner kick to provide the lead for Albacete, taking advantage of Madrid’s passive defending.

Franco Mastantuono equalised minutes later after poking home from close range on the rebound.

As the game approached the final quarter, the home side looked more dangerous, while a second-string Madrid side started to become shaky.

Andriy Lunin produced back-to-back stunning saves against Riki Rodriguez and Agus Medina to keep the scores level.

Former Madrid player Jefte Betancor put Albacete in front after striking home a half-volley effort, which Lunin failed to deal with this time.

Los Blancos striker Gonzalo Garcia headed home the equaliser in injury time to set up a thrilling finale.

However, Betancor put a dagger in Madrid’s heart after scoring the winner from a difficult angle.

Madrid looked substandard without Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo and Antonio Rudiger. Vinicius Junior produced a shoddy performance. 

Albacete’s strong and disciplined defence nullified the Brazilian’s threat, while his shot accuracy was way off the mark.

After the Spanish Super Cup defeat against Barcelona on Sunday, Madrid have now exited two tournaments in the blink of an eye.

They have only La Liga and the Champions League to fight for. The odds are stacked against them due to Arbeloa’s lack of experience.