Overview
- Second-division Albacete beat Real Madrid 3-2 in the Round of 16, with substitute Jefte Betancor scoring in the 82nd minute and again in stoppage time after a late Gonzalo García equalizer.
- The defeat marked Albacete’s first ever victory over Real Madrid and came with the hosts sitting 17th in Spain’s Segunda División.
- Arbeloa, appointed Monday to replace Xabi Alonso after the Super Cup loss to Barcelona, handed debuts and starts to Castilla players Jorge Cestero and David Jiménez.
- Key stars including Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Thibaut Courtois were left out as Arbeloa rotated heavily; he later called the result “a tragedy” and said responsibility was his.
- Eliminated from both domestic cups, Real Madrid now turn to LaLiga and the Champions League, with Levante visiting the Bernabéu on Saturday.