Overview
- Albacete, 17th in Spain’s second tier, beat Real Madrid 3-2 in the Copa del Rey round of 16 with a 94th‑minute winner from Jefté Betancor.
- Gonzalo Garcia had made it 2-2 at 90+1 after earlier goals by Javi Villar for Albacete and Franco Mastantuono for Madrid, with Betancor also scoring in the 82nd minute.
- The tie marked Álvaro Arbeloa’s first match in charge following the club’s dismissal of Xabi Alonso earlier in the week.
- Arbeloa omitted Jude Bellingham and Thibaut Courtois from the squad and promoted several La Fábrica players, with David Jiménez and Jorge Cestero starting.
- Multiple first‑team regulars were out injured, including Kylian Mbappé, and Spanish outlets described the exit as an embarrassment for the 20‑time cup winners.