Real Madrid faced a shocking exit from the Copa del Rey as they began a new chapter without Xabi Alonso at the helm. Their journey was abruptly halted by Albacete, a team from the second tier, marking a disastrous debut for Alvaro Arbeloa as the club’s new manager.

Alonso’s tenure as Madrid’s boss came to an unexpected end on Monday. This decision followed closely on the heels of a narrow 3-2 defeat to their fierce rivals, Barcelona, in the Spanish Super Cup final. The club moved swiftly to appoint Arbeloa, a former defender for both Madrid and Liverpool, in hopes of ushering in a new era. However, his first outing could not have been more disappointing.

The match’s opening goal came in the 42nd minute, courtesy of defender Javi Villar, who put Albacete ahead. Madrid quickly retaliated, with Franco Mastantuono leveling the score just before the break, setting the stage for a tense second half.

As the game progressed, Jefte Betancor seemed to have clinched a victory for Albacete in the 82nd minute, sending shockwaves through the stadium. But Madrid’s Gonzalo Garcia dashed those hopes with a late equalizer, keeping the match alive and the outcome uncertain.

Yet, in a dramatic turn of events during the fourth minute of stoppage time, Jefte struck once more, sealing the victory for Albacete. The result sent the home supporters into euphoria and left Arbeloa with a debut to quickly put behind him.

Real Madrid got off to a losing start under Alvaro Arbeloa (left) as they were dumped out of the Copa del Rey to second-tier Albacete

Big-hitters such as Vinicius Jnr (pictured) were involved in the game but failed to prevent loss

In the fourth minute of stoppage time, however, Jefte scored again to send the home players, staff and fans into raptures and leave Arbeloa with a first game in charge to forget.

The result came a day after Madrid and England star Jude Bellingham was forced to turn to social media to hit back at suggestions he fell out with Alonso with an X-rated rant.

Bellingham posted on his own JB5 social media site: ‘Until now l’ve let far too many of these slide, always hoping the truth will come to light in its own time,’ Bellingham began, posting on his own app. ‘But honestly… What a load of s***.

‘Truly feel sorry for the people that hang onto the every word of these clowns and their “sources”. Do not believe everything you read, every now and then these lot need to be held accountable for spreading this kind of damaging misinformation for clicks and added controversy.’

The likes of star forward Kylian Mbappe have also faced criticism for seemingly defying Alonso, with the France captain defying his boss’ orders to form a guard of honour for Barcelona after the Super Cup final.

Sharing a photo of the pair embracing at what appeared to be the Bernabeu, Mbappe was the first Madrid player to break their silence on Alonso’s exit, posting: ‘It’s been short but it was a pleasure to play for you and learn from you. Thank you for giving me the confidence since Day 1.

‘I will remember you as a manager who had clear ideas and knows many things about football. Best of luck for your next chapter.’

Mbappe’s glowing words were perhaps no surprise given the forward has shone under Alonso, scoring 29 goals and adding five assists in just 25 games this season.

The winning goal came in the fourth minute of stoppage time, just after Madrid has scored a late equaliser

Madrid have just the league and Champions League to play for having lost in both cup competitions in a matter of days

Defeat on Sunday meant Xabi Alonso (left) lost his job, and Kylian Mbappe (right) was the first to say goodbye online

Reports in Spain have also suggested Alonso accused his players of behaving like they were in a ‘nursery’ in one training session at Real Madrid, sparking his downfall.

The manager is said to have ‘exploded’ at his stars in early November, with the relationship already at ‘breaking point’ two months before he was sacked. 

Spanish newspaper MARCA claim that Alonso had already ‘begun to leave’ Madrid in November at the time of his rant.

The outburst came as a ‘cry of desperation, of weariness, and almost of boredom’ as he grew ‘annoyed’ at how players were not meeting his tactical demands. Alonso was unable to impose the aggressive pressing system that had defined his Bayer Leverkusen team. 

Moreover, MARCA reports that a ‘buzz’ around Alvaro Arbeloa began to circulate in the dressing room long before he was appointed as Alonso’s successor. 

The forward wasn’t in the squad on Wednesday as he continues his comeback from injury, while the likes of Thibaut Courtois and Eduardo Camavinga were all at least in part afforded a rest.

Madrid’s defeat means they only have LaLiga and the Champions League left to play for this season, and they are currently four points behind Barcelona in the league table.

In the Champions League, they are seventh with two matches left, facing a battle to qualify for the last-16 without the need for the play-offs.