Arbeloa’s debut ends in shock as Albacete knock out Real Madrid | OneFootball

Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey campaign came to a shockingly early end as Albacete stunned the holders with a 3-2 win, spoiling Álvaro Arbeloa’s first match in charge.

Despite naming a strong side, Arbeloa endured a miserable debut on a foggy night at the Carlos Belmonte Stadium, where the Segunda División outfit showed far greater cutting edge and belief than their illustrious visitors.

Madrid dominated possession from the outset, but it was sterile control rather than sustained threat. Albacete, by contrast, were direct and purposeful, clearly intent on making the most of a rare opportunity to write a famous chapter in the club’s history.

The breakthrough arrived from a set piece. Javi Villar rose unchallenged to head home after slack marking from Franco Mastantuono, sending the home support into raptures and leaving Arbeloa with the worst possible start to life in the dugout.

Madrid responded just before the interval. From another corner, Dean Huijsen’s header was pushed away by Lizoain, but Mastantuono reacted quickest to turn in the rebound and restore parity.

Little changed after the restart. Arbeloa reshuffled by using Eduardo Camavinga at left-back, while Madrid leaned heavily on crosses, with Arda Güler delivering a steady supply into the box. One such ball almost paid off when Gonzalo Garcia went close with a header.

Albacete, though, remained a threat and were only denied on one occasion by a combination of Andriy Lunin and David Alaba. Their persistence was rewarded soon after when Garcia failed to clear his lines and Jefté struck first time to put the hosts back in front.

Madrid appeared to have rescued themselves deep into stoppage time as another Güler delivery found Garcia, who headed in to make it 2-2. But there was still time for one final twist.

With seconds remaining, Jefté surged down the left and, after seeing his first effort blocked, calmly lifted the ball over Lunin to seal a historic win and send Albacete through.

If there was no sense of unease around the Bernabéu before Arbeloa’s appointment, there certainly is now.