Real Madrid fans began to leave the stadium en masse from the 85th minute, frustrated and disheartened as they watched their team fail to reverse the situation after Martin Satriano's opening goal for Getafe in the first half. In the stands, the atmosphere grew increasingly agitated towards the end. Immediately after the final whistle, the remaining spectators booed loudly, with a segment of fervent fans chanting "Florentino, resign!".

Although the wave of protests was not as widespread as during the 2-0 victory over Levante in mid-1/2026, this reaction once again exposed the anger of some supporters. Real Madrid's star players ended the match in a stalemate, sluggish and enduring whistles. Once again, "Los Blancos" plunged into crisis.

Vinicius is challenged by a Getafe defender during Real Madrid's 0-1 loss at the Bernabeu, Madrid in La Liga's 26th round on 2/3/2026. *Photo: Real Madrid CF*

Worse still, Real Madrid lost three more key players for their next match against Celta Vigo on 7/3. Dean Huijsen, the central defender who had missed two matches, immediately received a yellow card upon replacing David Alaba, accumulating enough bookings for a suspension. Towards the end of the match, left-back Alvaro Carreras also received enough yellow cards and will miss the next round.

In the 5th minute of added time, Franco Mastantuono received a direct red card for insulting the referee. "It's disgraceful, absolutely disgraceful," the match report by head referee Alejandro Muniz Ruiz recounted the words of the young Argentinian star.

Vinicius also contributed to the late-game chaos with a yellow card for protesting. The Brazilian star was mocked by Allan Nyom, who brought up a previous conflict from the first leg, where Vinicius taunted the Cameroonian defender immediately after he was sent off.

In 12 matches since Arbeloa replaced Alonso, Real Madrid has lost four. Just one week ago, they visited Osasuna leading La Liga by two points, but now Barca has extended their lead to 4 points. The El Clasico at Camp Nou on 11/5 risks losing its decisive nature if Real Madrid does not quickly regroup. A 4-point gap is not insurmountable, but Real Madrid's current form is not optimistic.

This defeat also dealt a blow to the team's morale as Real Madrid prepares for a major clash with Man City in the round of 16 of the Champions League. Doubts about Arbeloa's capabilities resurfaced, especially with Kylian Mbappe absent. The key French forward missed the two most recent matches and is unlikely to recover in time for the European competition.

"No one will give up. This is Real Madrid, and we never surrender," Arbeloa rallied his team after their lackluster performance. However, it seems Real Madrid fans at the Bernabeu no longer have the patience to "buy" that promise.

Coach Arbeloa during the loss to Getafe. *Photo: AS*

Arbeloa could not deny Real Madrid's poor performance. He once again took full responsibility for the style of play, admitting the team needed to improve but still praised his players' efforts, as he always does after every defeat. However, the former defender also criticized the referee for allowing Getafe to constantly disrupt the match with stoppages.

When delving into an analysis of Real Madrid's "ailments," Arbeloa acknowledged the difficulty against opponents who organize tight defenses and complained about the monotony in attack. "We always tend to look for the easy solution, which is Vinicius, but the entire team needs to be able to create breakthroughs from both flanks," the 43-year-old coach stated.

With only 20% possession, Getafe still went into halftime with a 1-0 lead thanks to Satriano's goal, while their number of shots on target was equal to Real Madrid's (6 times). The resounding whistles from the stands at the end of the first half reflected the fans' dwindling patience.

The anger intensified over time, especially when Arbeloa decided to substitute young midfielder Thiago Pitarch for Rodrygo in the 55th minute. "I accept being booed for the substitution decision," he responded, emphasizing twice that, despite the result, his team created "more clear opportunities" than their opponents.

"I understand the criticism, but even if we played badly, very badly, or averagely, we deserved to score more goals than Getafe," Arbeloa asserted that he and his players still have enough resources to turn around a season that is off track. "We have a quality squad; players recovering from injury will help a lot."

Vinicius is disappointed after a failed Real Madrid attacking play in the 0-1 loss to Getafe at the Bernabeu, Madrid in La Liga's 26th round on 2/3/2026. *Photo: AS*

In contrast to the hosts' dejected state, Getafe left the field in glory, not needing heroic scenarios to secure their hard-earned victory. "They didn't create too many chances. We neutralized Real Madrid, preventing them from finding space," said coach Jose Bordalas after the match. "The plan was a complete success. My players executed the tactical intentions impressively."

The last time Getafe earned points at the Bernabeu was 18 years ago. On 25/2/2008, under former player Michael Laudrup, Getafe also won 1-0 at the opponent's stronghold thanks to a goal from Ikechukwu Uche. At that time, Real Madrid's coach was Bernd Schuster, who had managed Getafe just the season before.

Hoang Thong compiled