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The hosts took the lead in the 42nd minute with Javier Villar's header but Madrid struck back just before half-time with Franco Mastantuono pouncing on a rebound from a corner.

Albacete regained the lead in the 82nd minute when Jefte unleashed a venomous strike from a poor clearance into the back of the net.

Madrid thought it had rescued the tie in stoppage-time when Guler's corner was met by Gonzalo Garcia, whose towering header made it 2-2.

But as the visitors pressed for a late winner, they left themselves exposed at the back, with Jefte breaking free on the counter-attack and unleashing a sublime right-footed strike into the top corner to seal a shock victory for the hosts.

"We've hit rock bottom; we've been knocked out by a second division team," Real captain Dani Carvajal said.

"You have to face up to it when you lose, and that's what we have to do now. We, the players, are the ones ultimately responsible. There's little else I can say."

Arbeloa said he should be blamed for the humiliation.

"At this club, a draw is always bad, a tragedy. It's painful, and I'm sure all our fans are hurting," he said.

"I am responsible and to blame. As for the line-up and the substitutions, I can only thank the players. Now we have to recover for Saturday [Sunday AEDT]."

Arbeloa's decision to rest several first-team stars came under scrutiny as Madrid struggled against an organised and determined Albacete side. Despite the result, Arbeloa doubled down on his choices.

"I don't regret it. I was convinced that the squad I brought was the right one," he said.

"The players we had formed a great team. I would make the same decision a thousand times over. It's difficult for players to adapt to everything I've asked of them in just one day. We also have many players who need to recover physically."

Madrid's second consecutive loss in less than a week was a blow for Arbeloa, but the manager remained steadfast in his belief that failure is a stepping stone to success.

"I'm not afraid of failure," he said.

"I understand anyone who wants to describe this defeat as a failure. Failure is part of the road to success. It will make me better, and it will make us all better. I've endured defeats harder than this one. We'll prepare for the next match with maximum dedication.

"With a new manager, players will need time to adjust to different ideas," he said. "What happens on the pitch is ultimately my responsibility. We need clearer ideas in how we approach matches, particularly against teams that defend deep."

The lead-up to the match was marred after racist chants against Madrid's much-abused Brazilian forward Vinicius Junior were heard outside Carlos Belmonte Stadium ahead of the match.

A group gathering near the stadium in the city of Albacete chanted abuse about the 25-year-old, who has repeatedly suffered racist abuse in Spain during games.

"Enough of this racism, it's completely shameful. It's not the image that represents the people of Albacete or the club," Albacete posted on social media.

In May 2025, five people received prison sentences in a landmark first ruling in Spain that condemned racist insults in a football stadium as a hate crime after Vinicius was abused during Real Madrid's 2-0 victory over Real Valladolid in 2022.

There have been 18 legal complaints of racist behaviour against Vinicius since 2022. Real Madrid had no immediate comment on this latest incident.

Vinicius has in the past expressed disappointment with what he describes as inadequate responses from governing bodies.