Arbeloa: Real Madrid Copa exit to 2nd-tier side 'painful' - ESPN

New Real Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa took responsibility for the team's «painful» 3-2 Copa del Rey defeat to second-tier Albacete on Wednesday, defending his decision to rest a number of senior players.

A 94th-minute winner from Jefte Betancor gave Albacete — currently 17th in the second division — their first ever win over Madrid, after Gonzalo García looked to have forced extra time at the Estadio Carlos Belmonte with a 91st minute header.

Arbeloa only took charge of Madrid on Tuesday, stepping up from coaching the reserve team after the departure of Xabi Alonso.

«At this club a draw is bad, a tragedy, so imagine a defeat like this,» Arbeloa said in his postmatch news conference. «It's painful, especially against a lower division team… Obviously we have to improve.

»I'm responsible, I take the decisions: the team, how we want to play, the substitutions. We'll try to recover our morale and physically, and improve for the game on Saturday [against Levante in LaLiga]."

Madrid's Copa exit came just three days after they were beaten by Barcelona in the Spanish Supercopa final in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, a result which preceded Alonso's removal as coach.

Arbeloa left several key players out of the squad for the trip to Albacete, including Thibaut Courtois, Jude Bellingham, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Álvaro Carreras, Rodrygo and Kylian Mbappé, who has been struggling with a knee sprain.

«I was convinced the squad was the right one, and I still think that,» Arbeloa insisted. «We have an extraordinary squad, with great players. It isn't easy for them to do everything I've asked of them after just one day [in the job]. We have a lot of players to get back to their best physical level.

»I don't regret anything. I'd pick the same team