Tag: Real Madrid

Real Madrid fell to a damaging 1-0 defeat by Getafe at home in La Liga on Monday, leaving them four points behind leaders Barcelona.

Alvaro Arbeloa’s side, beaten by a superb volley from Martin Satriano, suffered a second consecutive loss in the Spanish top flight for the first time since 2020.

Madrid forward Franco Mastantuono was sent off in stoppage time for apparent dissent to make a bad night worse for Los Blancos.

“Obviously, it’s a match where we could have done things better, but I think my players tried and we had more clear chances than them,” Arbeloa told reporters.

“However, in football, deserving isn’t enough, and Getafe played a great game.”

With French superstar Kylian Mbappe in France to treat a knee sprain, Madrid lined up with Gonzalo Garcia in attack alongside Brazil star Vinicius Junior at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Real Madrid were beaten at Osasuna last weekend, allowing rivals Barca to overtake them in the title race, and Hansi Flick’s side stretched their lead by thrashing Villarreal on Saturday.

Vinicius, in excellent form in 2026 after an inconsistent start to the season, spurned a fine early chance.

The winger burst through on goal, but David Soria saved well with his leg.

A brilliant roulette from Arda Guler nearly earned Madrid the breakthrough, but Soria tipped over the Turkish forward’s strike.

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Getafe were upset by a painful collision between Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger and Diego Rico, in which the German’s knee knocked the Spaniard’s head.

Uruguayan forward Satriano broke the deadlock with a delicious strike from the edge of the box after compatriot Mauro Arambarri nodded the ball into his path.

Soria, who had a fine game, saved from Vinicius in the second half, and the Brazilian called for more support from Madrid’s fans.

However, the team were not giving them much to get excited about, although Rudiger came close to levelling with a header.

It was a disjointed display from a Madrid side who visit Celta Vigo on Friday in La Liga, before hosting Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Champions League last 16, unsure if top scorer Mbappe will be fit to play.

In stoppage time, Mastantuono was dismissed, seemingly for something he said to the referee, before Getafe were also reduced to 10 men when Adrian Liso kicked the ball away and was shown a second yellow card.

“Nobody here is throwing in the towel, this is Real Madrid, you don’t give up until the last game,” added Arbeloa.

“Four points is a distance that we can cut back, and we will fight for that.”

Jose Bordalas’s Getafe rose to 11th and were able to celebrate their first win at the Bernabeu since 2008.

“It’s very hard to get points when you come here. I have to congratulate the team for the work in defence, then we got our goal, and we could even have scored another in the end,” said Getafe defender Kiko Femenia.

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Real Madrid and Manchester City will face off in a Champions League knockout tie for the fifth season running after being drawn Friday to play each other in the last 16, while reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) will take on Chelsea.

The Spanish giants, record 15-time European champions, will host City in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu next month before travelling to England for the return the following week.

The clubs have already played each other this season, with Pep Guardiola’s City winning 2-1 in Madrid in December during the league phase, in which the Premier League club finished eighth and Real ninth.

That allowed City, Champions League winners in 2023, to advance straight to the last 16 while Madrid had to come through the knockout phase play-offs, in which they beat Benfica 3-1 on aggregate.

This is the eighth season in which the teams have played each other since 2012. Real beat City in the knockout phase play-offs last season, and in the quarter-finals on the way to winning the trophy in 2024.

They also emerged victorious in the semi-finals in 2022, with City winning at the same stage the following year.

PSG will be at home to Chelsea in the first leg after qualifying for this stage with a 5-4 aggregate win over Ligue 1 rivals Monaco in the play-offs. Chelsea progressed straight to the last 16 after finishing sixth in the league phase.

The sides played each other in the knockout stages in three consecutive years from 2014 to 2016, with Chelsea winning the first of those confrontations in the quarter-finals and PSG triumphing in the last 16 in the following two.

Their last encounter came in July’s Club World Cup final in the United States, when Chelsea won 3-0 against last season’s European champions.

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Chelsea have been coached since January by Liam Rosenior, who had previously come up against PSG in Ligue 1 as the coach of Strasbourg.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United will take on Barcelona with the first leg at St James’ Park, where the Spanish side won 2-1 during the league phase in September.

There is a record total of six English clubs in the last 16. Liverpool will have a rematch against Galatasaray, the Turkish giants having defeated the Anfield club 1-0 in September in the league phase.

Arsenal will come up against Bayer Leverkusen, and Tottenham Hotspur were drawn to play Atletico Madrid.

German champions Bayern Munich will play Atalanta, the sole Italian club left in the competition, while Norwegian upstarts Bodo/Glimt’s reward for knocking out Inter Milan is a last-16 tie against Sporting of Portugal.

The first legs will take place on March 10 and 11, with the second legs a week later.

The teams that qualified directly for this stage after finishing in the top eight in the league phase will all be at home in the return matches.

This season’s Champions League final will take place at the Puskas Arena in Budapest on May 30.

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Vinicius Junior scored the winner on the night as Real Madrid beat Benfica 2-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday, progressing 3-1 on aggregate to the last 16.

It was the Brazilian forward’s superb goal which separated the teams in a first leg marred by an incident of alleged racial abuse aimed at him by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni, who denies it.

Jose Mourinho’s side were still alive in the play-off round tie and took the lead early on at the Santiago Bernabeu through Rafa Silva, although Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni swiftly levelled.

Benfica gave the record 15-time champions a rough ride, but fittingly, Vinicius, who never hides from the spotlight, scored on 80 minutes to effectively end the contest.

“That is our Vinicius,” Tchouameni proudly told Movistar after the Brazilian’s winner. “To be honest, we didn’t start the game very well, but we kept our confidence.”

It was Portuguese coach Mourinho’s first time back at the Santiago Bernabeu since he coached Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013, but he could not lead his team from the dugout because of a suspension.

After a week dominated by the fallout from the first leg, Vinicius lined up for Real Madrid alongside Gonzalo Garcia, who stepped in for the injured French superstar Kylian Mbappe.

“(Vini) had a great game,” Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa told Movistar. “Unbalancing them, scoring, creating a lot of danger every time he took them on.”

Benfica were without banned midfielder Prestianni, after an appeal against his provisional one-game sanction was turned down earlier on Wednesday, with UEFA still investigating the incident.

Madrid hung a large banner reading “no to racism” at one end, with the game played under the shadow of what happened last week in Lisbon.

There were boos for Vinicius from the visiting Benfica fans, and he prodded wide in the early stages, appealing in vain for a penalty as Nicolas Otamendi collided with him after he got his shot away.

Benfica took a deserved lead in the 14th minute as Madrid defender Raul Asencio clumsily turned the ball towards his own goal.

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Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois kept the ball out, but Silva was on hand to bundle home from close range.

Stung into action, Madrid pulled level two minutes later through Tchouameni. The French midfielder finished with aplomb from the edge of the box from rampaging team-mate Federico Valverde’s cross.

Madrid thought they had gone ahead on the night when Arda Guler stabbed home a loose ball after Garcia’s shot was blocked, but the Spanish striker had edged offside, and it was disallowed after a VAR review.

Courtois made a fine save from Richard Rios before the break, as Benfica turned up the pressure.

Silva hit the bar with a deflected effort before the hour mark as Mourinho’s side at times pinned back the hosts.

Madrid were dealt a setback as Asencio was forced off on a stretcher after colliding with Eduardo Camavinga.

“It’s his neck, but it doesn’t seem like it will be that bad,” said Arbeloa, who confirmed the defender was being taken to the hospital for tests.

It had to be Vinicius who settled the tie, though, and Valverde played him scuttling through on goal, with the Brazilian calmly rolling a low shot past goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.

Vinicius produced another celebratory dance by the corner flag, as he had done in the first leg in the run-up to the flashpoint with Prestianni, and to the chagrin of Mourinho.

“I’m happy that Vini’s dancing, still dancing, because it means he’s scoring goals,” said Courtois.

This time, the 25-year-old just had thousands of jubilant fans jumping up and down before him, and his goal confirmed Madrid’s passage to the last 16.

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Raul Garcia’s superb 90th-minute strike consigned leaders Real Madrid to a 2-1 defeat at Osasuna in La Liga on Saturday, in a blow to their title hopes.

Champions Barcelona trail Madrid by two points but can overtake them on Sunday if they beat Levante at Camp Nou.

Alvaro Arbeloa’s Madrid put on a below-par performance in Pamplona and fell behind to an Ante Budimir penalty, before Vinicius Junior pulled the visitors level.

The second leg of Madrid’s Champions League play-off against Jose Mourinho’s Benfica on Wednesday seemed to play on their minds as they failed to kick on at El Sadar.

Vinicius, who scored a sensational goal to give Madrid a slender first-leg lead but was then the victim of alleged racial abuse, thought he had earned his team a point before Garcia blasted home the winner.

Croatian target man Budimir curled narrowly wide of Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois’s far post early on, the first of many problems he gave the visitors.

The Belgian stopper made an excellent save a few minutes later, after Budimir tried to nod home Ruben Garcia’s cross under pressure from Alvaro Carreras.

Budimir also clipped the post with a header as Osasuna impressed, with their victory helping them rise to ninth.

Madrid defender David Alaba came close when Alejandro Catena blocked his shot, shortly before the hosts took the lead.

Budimir burst into the area and went down under a challenge from Courtois. Although he was initially booked for diving, a VAR review showed the goalkeeper stood on his foot.

The veteran forward took the resulting penalty himself and sent Courtois the wrong way to give Osasuna the lead.

Osasuna sat deep at times in the second half, looking to fend off 15-time European champions Madrid.

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Arda Guler came close with a vicious shot that flew just over.

Chasing an equaliser, Arbeloa threw on creative duo Trent Alexander-Arnold and Brahim Diaz and his team began to take control.

French superstar Kylian Mbappe put the ball in the back of Osasuna’s net but had edged offside, although the equaliser was not long in coming.

Fede Valverde charged into the box with the ball, unperturbed by Osasuna’s defenders bouncing off him, before crossing for Vinicius to tuck home.

It was the Brazilian’s fifth goal in his last four games across all competitions, having found his best form since Arbeloa replaced Xabi Alonso at the helm in January.

Mbappe, La Liga’s top goalscorer, should have put Madrid ahead with 10 minutes to go, but Javi Galan brilliantly blocked his shot.

Alexander-Arnold curled a free-kick wide as the clock ticked down, and it looked like Madrid were left ruing two points dropped, when the third was taken away from them too.

Raul Garcia cut inside the sliding Raul Asencio brilliantly and fired across Courtois and in at the far post.

The striker’s celebrations were cut short by the offside flag, but a VAR review showed he was onside and the goal was given.

It was the first time Osasuna have beaten Madrid in La Liga for 15 years.

Real Betis, fifth, were held 1-1 at home against Rayo Vallecano earlier Saturday, leaving them three points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid.

Diego Simeone’s side host Espanyol later on, aiming to make amends after last weekend’s 3-0 defeat by Rayo.

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Vinicius Junior scored a sensational goal to earn Real Madrid a 1-0 Champions League play-off first leg victory at Benfica on Tuesday, although the match was marred by apparent racist abuse aimed at the Brazilian.

Having curled a stunning shot into the top corner in the 50th minute, Vinicius argued with Gianluca Prestianni, after which he complained to French referee Francois Letexier, who halted the match for more than 10 minutes as he applied the racism protocol.

Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni said Vinicius told his team-mates that Prestianni called him a “monkey”.

“Vini is doing good, calm,” Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa told Movistar. “(What happened) is something that nobody likes, you have to ask the Benfica player what he said.

“(Racism) is something we have to eradicate from the world of football and if the players don’t fix it then this is very complicated.”

Benfica coach Jose Mourinho was sent off in the final stages of a spiky game for complaining too vociferously, meaning he will miss the second leg against his former team at the Santiago Bernabeu next week.

Arbeloa’s Madrid earned a narrow and nervy victory at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon to take an advantage into that clash, as well as avenging their dramatic 4-2 defeat by Benfica in the league phase.

That collapse dragged the record 15-time champions down into the play-off round while helping Mourinho’s side reach it by the skin of their teeth.

However, this was a far different affair, with Arbeloa’s Madrid much sturdier than a few weeks ago.

They were bolstered by French superstar Kylian Mbappe’s return after he sat out of their last game because of knee discomfort.

Vinicius, back to his vibrant best since Arbeloa replaced Xabi Alonso at the helm in January, dragged the first good chance of the game inches wide of the far post.

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Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a fine save to keep out Fredrik Aursnes’s deflected effort from distance as Benfica held their own.

Madrid’s quality began to shine through before the interval, with Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, who scored a stunning late goal when the teams met in January, denying Mbappe and Arda Guler.

The Ukrainian stopper could do nothing, though, about Vinicius’s sensational strike after 50 minutes.

On the left of the area, with nothing else on, Vinicius curled a sumptuous effort into the top corner to put Madrid ahead.

The Brazilian was booked for his dancing celebration in front of Benfica’s supporters.

That sparked an exchange with Prestianni, who pulled his shirt over his mouth before seeming to say something to Vinicius.

The Brazilian then ran over to Letexier and, pointing at Prestianni, said that he had been called “mono”, the Spanish word for monkey.

“Vini told us that the guy called him a ‘monkey’ with his shirt (raised over his mouth),” Tchouameni told Movistar later.

The official activated the racism protocol, and Vinicius sat in Madrid’s dug-out, with the game on hold for several minutes.

When the game eventually resumed, Vinicius was jeered by Benfica supporters and was denied three times by Trubin in the minutes that followed.

Mourinho was sent off in the 85th minute as he appealed for a second yellow card for Vinicius, costing him a spot on the bench back at his old hunting ground, where he led Madrid between 2010 and 2013.

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Benfica coach Jose Mourinho insisted he is capable of saying no to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez as he played down rumours of a return to the Spanish giants on Monday.

Mourinho’s Benfica host Real Madrid in a Champions League play-off round clash on Tuesday, before the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu next week.

The 63-year-old Portuguese coach, who led Madrid between 2010 and 2013, has a clause in his contract with Benfica which would allow him to depart the club, fuelling rumours Perez may turn to him again next season.

Mourinho guided Benfica to a 4-2 victory over Alvaro Arbeloa’s Real Madrid in the league phase of the Champions League in January, leading both teams to face each other again in the two-legged play-off round.

“Can you say no? Yes,” Mourinho told reporters when asked if he could reject an approach from the Madrid chief. “Yes, you can.”

Mourinho admitted he has a “great friendship” with Perez and a permanent connection with Madrid, but said the break clause was agreed because of the Benfica presidential elections, which were approaching in November 2025, a few weeks after he signed his contract.

“I gave everything to Real Madrid, everything that I had, I did good things, I did bad things, but I gave absolutely everything, and that’s all,” said Mourinho.

“When (someone) leaves a club with those type of feelings, I think a connection always exists… the fans think highly of me, and that is fantastic, but with this, I don’t want to encourage stories that don’t exist…

“The only thing that exists is that I have another year on my contract with Benfica. It’s a special contract because it was signed in an electoral period.”

Mourinho said the deal was signed to protect a hypothetical new president, although in the end, Rui Costa was re-elected.

“There is a clause that is very easy for both me and Benfica to break the contract, but the only thing that exists is the contract with Benfica, and there is nothing with Real Madrid,” said Mourinho.

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“I would very much like to eliminate Real Madrid (from the Champions League), but I would like Alvaro to win La Liga and for Alvaro to stay at Madrid for many years.

“I think he’s a coach with a lot of capability and a boy who has Madrid within him, and with the personality to coach Madrid, which isn’t something anyone can do.”

Mourinho said he expected a different game to the one his side dominated in Lisbon against Madrid in January, and highlighted the power of Arbeloa’s side, record 15-time champions.

“The Real Madrid I expect tomorrow is the Real Madrid who are number one favourites to win the Champions League,” added Mourinho.

Arbeloa said, despite his good relationship with Mourinho, he was determined to reach the last 16.

“My objective is to eliminate Benfica, and after that he can win everything else, after that I wish him the best,” explained Arbeloa.

The coach would not reveal whether French superstar Kylian Mbappe was ready to start the game, after knee discomfort kept him on the bench last weekend in the win over Real Sociedad.

“Kylian came with us, he will train and tomorrow you will see if he plays or doesn’t,” said Arbeloa.

Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga said Los Blancos were out for revenge at the Estadio da Luz.

“I think we have to change our mentality (from the league phase game), we’re better on that front now, we have to attack and defend together,” Camavinga told reporters.

“We want to play a great game, because losing a game like that was tough for our fans… we want to win tomorrow with the spirit of revenge.”

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MADRID: Vinicius Junior won and converted two penalties as Real Madrid thumped Real Sociedad 4-1 on Saturday to move provisionally top of La Liga.

An impressive performance from Trent Alexander-Arnold on his first start in two-and-a-half months also helped Los Blancos move two points clear of champions Barcelona, who visit Girona on Monday.

Madrid’s convincing display inflicted a first defeat for visiting American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, in his 10th match at the helm of Real Sociedad.

Young striker Gonzalo Garcia and Fede Valverde were also on target for Alvaro Arbeloa’s Madrid, who face an important Champions League play-off match against Jose Mourinho’s Benfica on Tuesday in Lisbon.

“We did great work in attack and in defence… you could tell that we were defending as a team during the whole game,” Valverde told Real Madrid TV.

“We’ve had long weeks where we’ve been preparing a lot, and now we will fight for La Liga and the Champions League.”

Fit to start his first game since early December after a thigh injury, it did not take Alexander-Arnold long to make an impact.

The England defender’s cross was met with a delicate finish by Garcia, starting in place of French superstar Kylian Mbappe, who was feeling some knee discomfort.

“Trent is a very intelligent boy, who understands the game very well, and has quickly understood what we want from him,” Arbeloa told reporters.

“We’re lucky to have a player like this, who can play inside or outside… at set-pieces, with his kick, he can set us off on the counter-attack very well, he’s a great player.”

Real Sociedad pulled level after 21 minutes when Yangel Herrera was clumsily felled by Dean Huijsen in Madrid’s box.

Mikel Oyarzabal powered the spot-kick down the middle, but La Real’s joy was short-lived.

Vinicius won a penalty of his own at the other end when Jon Aramburu tripped him in the area, and the Brazilian sent Alex Remiro the wrong way.

Madrid were rampant, and Valverde netted a fine third in the 31st minute, moving into space on the edge of the box and curling into the top corner.

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Matarrazzo sent on Goncalo Guedes at half-time, hoping his team could mount a comeback, but Aramburu conceded another penalty early in the second half.

It was Vinicius running at him once more which provoked it, with the winger nutmegging Aramburu and then eagerly hitting the deck as the right-back slid in.

Vinicius went for the bottom left corner this time, switching directions, and Remiro could not reach his strike.

With Jude Bellingham out injured and Mbappe sitting on the bench, Vinicius seemed to have more freedom to roam and revelled in being the key attacking figure.

“Since I’ve arrived, he’s had games at a really high level… he’s a player who goes beyond the statistics, how he can change a game, condition opponents, the number of players he can attract”, said Arbeloa.

“(Vinicius is) one of the best in the world, I’m lucky to coach him, he’s a great kid with a big heart.”

Garcia came close to a second but Real Sociedad defender Jon Martin, who performed well individually despite his team’s heavy defeat, cleared his effort off the line.

Vinicius was denied a hat-trick by the linesman’s flag as he used his shoulder to convert Arda Guler’s crossed free-kick, but had strayed just offside.

“The first half was tough, we weren’t comfortable… and in general we did badly,” Oyarzabal told Movistar after his team’s unbeaten run was brought to an end.

“We came here in a good dynamic and doing well, a bad game doesn’t have to spoil that.”

Earlier, Villarreal fell to a 2-1 defeat at Getafe in a blow to their hopes of a top-four finish.

The Yellow Submarine, currently sitting fourth, were far from their best, and Mauro Arambarri sent the hosts ahead from the penalty spot shortly before the break.

Martin Satriano extended Getafe’s lead early in the second half, with Georges Mikautadze pulling one back for Villarreal, but Marcelino Garcia Toral’s team could not find an equaliser.

Real Betis, fifth, could move within four points of Villarreal if they beat Mallorca on Sunday.

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Alvaro Carreras and Kylian Mbappe’s goals earned Real Madrid a battling 2-0 win at Valencia on Sunday to close the gap to La Liga leaders Barcelona to one point.

After the Spanish champions had beaten Mallorca on Saturday, Alvaro Arbeloa’s side eked out a tight victory at Mestalla to keep the pressure on their arch-rivals.

Missing suspended forward Vinicius Junior and injured midfielder Jude Bellingham, Los Blancos lacked sparkle but did just enough to claim three points on Spain’s east coast.

England international Trent Alexander-Arnold made his return after injury as a substitute in the second half of Madrid’s victory.

Arbeloa’s side had the better chances in the first half but failed to create danger on a consistent basis in a gritty encounter.

Arda Guler’s shot deflected narrowly wide, while Valencia stopper Stole Dimitrievski saved well with his legs from Mbappe’s fierce drive.

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Real Madrid right-back David Jimenez, from the club’s youth academy, came closest to scoring after French superstar Mbappe teed him up, but the Macedonian goalkeeper denied him, too.

Midway through the second half, Carreras conjured a goal out of nothing to give Madrid the lead.

Drifting inside from the left of the box, the defender used his weaker right foot to stroke the ball inside Dimitrievski’s near post.

Valencia might have levelled but Lucas Beltran’s effort on the stretch beat Thibaut Courtois and clipped the post.

Arbeloa brought on Alexander-Arnold for his first appearance since early December following a thigh injury, as Madrid looked to close out the game.

They eventually secured the three points in stoppage time as Brahim Diaz teed up La Liga’s top scorer Mbappe, who finished calmly for his 23rd goal in the competition this season.

Valencia’s fans, some of whom had waved white handkerchieves during the match in protest at the club’s situation, headed for the exits with Los Che 17th, one point above the drop zone.

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Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham is expected to miss the club’s upcoming Champions League play-off matches against Benfica after suffering a hamstring injury on Sunday.

“Following tests carried out today on our player Jude Bellingham by Real Madrid’s medical services, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the semitendinosus muscle in his left leg,” said Los Blancos in a statement, without specifying the length of his expected absence.

Spanish media reported the 22-year-old England international could miss around a month after he went off hurt in the opening stages of the 2-1 La Liga win over Rayo Vallecano.

As well as the play-off games against Jose Mourinho’s Benfica on February 17 and 25, Bellingham is likely to miss league matches against Valencia, Real Sociedad and Osasuna.

Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said a potential Bellingham absence would be a “big absence” but that he has an “extraordinary squad” to help fill in for the midfielder.

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Kylian Mbappe stayed calm to roll home a 100th-minute penalty and claim a 2-1 win for Real Madrid over nine-man Rayo Vallecano on Sunday in a spicy La Liga derby clash.

Los Blancos cut Barcelona’s lead back to one point at the top of the table after the Spanish champions beat Elche on Saturday.

Vinicius Junior scored early on for Madrid after Jude Bellingham limped off with an apparent hamstring injury.

Jorge de Frutos pulled Rayo level early in the second half as Madrid fans showed their anger at their team following the midweek Champions League defeat at Benfica.

After Pathe Ciss’s red card tilted the game in Madrid’s favour, Mbappe netted from the spot at the death for his 22nd La Liga goal this season.

Pep Chavarria was also sent off in the final stages for Rayo, 17th, who took a shaky Madrid to the wire before falling short.

Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa said it would take time before the team could become more consistent, having had six games at the helm since replacing Xabi Alonso.

“I’m not Gandalf the White,” the Madrid coach told reporters, referring to the Lord of the Rings wizard.

“What I want from my players is what I’m seeing: commitment, attitude, mentality, knowing that to win each game, quality is not enough, consistency is key.

“We will work on that, in terms of performance, mentality, ambition and attitude.”

Arbeloa said Madrid had to play better than other teams to beat opponents, because of their illustrious name.

“This is Real Madrid, and to beat Rayo Vallecano we need to do more than the rest of the teams in La Liga,” he continued.

The coach said Bellingham would be a “big absence” for the matches ahead if his injury proves serious, but for now, “we don’t know anything”.

After the defeat in Portugal left Madrid in the Champions League play-off round, the Santiago Bernabeu crowd was in an unforgiving mood.

Arbeloa and Mbappe had begged fans to support the team, but, just as they did a fortnight ago against Levante, they whistled their own players.

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Madrid suffered an early setback as England international Bellingham pulled up holding the back of his thigh, going off in agony.

Vinicius fired the hosts ahead in the 15th minute, showing tidy footwork just inside the area before firing high over Augusto Batalla and into the net.

Los Blancos were in charge, but despite taking the lead, their fans were not appeased and whistled the team in at the break.

Four minutes into the second half, Rayo pulled level. Alvaro Garcia nodded a cross down for De Frutos, a former Madrid youth player, to reach and drill home.

The visitors should have taken the lead after an hour when Andrei Ratiu ran through on goal with only Thibaut Courtois to beat, but the Belgian stopper made a superb save to deny him.

Mbappe came centimetres away from putting Madrid in front when Batalla rushed out of his goal, but hit the bar.

Rayo made life harder for themselves when midfielder Ciss was sent off for an ugly foul on Madrid’s Dani Ceballos.

Eduardo Camavinga headed against the post as Arbeloa’s side turned the screw.

With nine minutes of stoppage time ticking down, Madrid were awarded a penalty when Nobel Mendy clumsily fouled Brahim Diaz, and La Liga’s top scorer Mbappe dispatched it to snatch three points for his side.

Rayo finished the match with nine men after Chavarria was shown a second yellow card for shoving Rodrygo Goes.

“The important thing is to improve, to grow as a team, try to be calmer, we can’t always be waiting for the opponent to make a mistake,” said Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde.

Arbeloa said he was now looking forward to a fortnight without midweek games due to Madrid’s early Copa del Rey exit.

“We’ve had a lot more games than training sessions, which are for recovering and can’t be done at high intensity. As a coach, I’ve missed that time to work,” said the coach.

“We’ll use these two weeks to keep improving the team, individually and collectively.”

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