The shock of the night in Spanish football came when Albacete Balompié stunned Real Madrid 3-2 in the Copa del Rey round of 16,
eliminating the Spanish giants in dramatic fashion. The upset occurred at Estadio Carlos Belmonte, where second-division Albacete produced one of the most memorable results in their history. The match was filled with twists, emotional highs, and a late winner that sealed Madrid’s fate.
Albacete opened the scoring in the 42nd minute through Javi Villar, who headed in from a well-delivered corner, catching Real Madrid’s defence off guard.
Real Madrid responded just before half-time, with Franco Mastantuono finishing from close range after a rebound,
pulling Los Blancos level and giving them hope going into the break.
After halftime, the pattern of an unpredictable contest continued. Albacete regained the lead in the 82nd minute with a well-taken goal by Jefte Betancor,
who took advantage of confusion in the Madrid defence following another set piece. Despite Real dominating possession for much of the second half, Albacete’s disciplined defence and sharp counter-attacks kept them in command.
Real Madrid refused to go down without a fight and found an equaliser in stoppage time. Gonzalo García met a precise delivery from Arda Güler with a towering header that brought the tie level at 2-2 in the 91st minute. It seemed extra time was imminent, but the drama wasn’t over.
Just four minutes later, deep into injury time,
Jefte Betancor struck again, calmly slotting home after his first effort was block to send the home fans into raptures. His stoppage-time winner immediately ended Real Madrid’s Copa del Rey journey and marked a historic victory for Albacete,
who had never beaten Real in an official match before this ges this season. The defeat was particularly painful as it came in Álvaro Arbeloa’s first match in charge following the departure of Xabi Alonso, and against a team 35 places below them in the Spanish football pyramid.
The loss raises serious questions about Madrid’s form and future direction,
while Albacete’s dramatic success will be celebrated as one of the greatest moments in the club’s recent history.