The surprise unfolded in the first half. Real dominated possession and created numerous chances but failed to score. Vinicius missed a prime opportunity, shooting directly at David Soria in the 13th minute. Arda Guler also caused regret, executing a Zidane-esque turn to enter the box, only to have his shot saved by the visiting goalkeeper in the 23rd minute.

In contrast to Real's dominant play, Getafe used defense as a springboard for counter-attacks. The visitors deployed four players who took turns fouling Vinicius to neutralize him. They were decisive, capitalizing on their sole opportunity to score in the 39th minute. Following a headed pass from Mauro Arambarri, Martin Satriano volleyed from 17 meters, sending the ball into the top corner past goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Satriano celebrates his goal during Real's 0-1 loss to Getafe in La Liga's 26th round on the evening of 2/3. *Photo: EFE*

Getafe needed only one shot on target out of four attempts to open the scoring. Meanwhile, Real came up empty-handed despite 80% possession, six shots, and four shots on target.

Real nearly had a player sent off in the first half. Both the referee and VAR overlooked an incident where Antonio Rudiger used his knee to challenge Diego Rico in the 24th minute.

Getafe continued with deep defense in the second half. Real maintained possession but lacked clear opportunities. Coach Alvaro Arbeloa's introduction of Rodrygo, Dani Carvajal, Dean Huijsen, and Franco Mastantuono at the start of the second half did not yield immediate results.

Vinicius (in white) is pursued by multiple players while dribbling during Real's 0-1 loss to Getafe in La Liga's 26th round on the evening of 2/3. *Photo: AS*

Real's chances only increased when their defenders pushed forward to attack. However, they lacked the luck to equalize. Center-back Rudiger headed narrowly wide in the 74th minute, and full-back Carvajal's shot was saved by Soria five minutes later.

Towards the end of the match, Real supporters at the Bernabeu grew impatient and booed more frequently. However, Arbeloa's squad failed to produce anything beyond uninspired plays and poor finishing. In the 89th minute, Mastantuono broke through the Getafe defense but shot directly at goalkeeper Soria's feet. Six minutes later, the young Argentine forward received a direct red card for reacting to the referee. Getafe also lost Adrian Liso, who received a second yellow card.

The loss to Getafe left Real in second place with 60 points, four points behind league leaders Barca after 26 La Liga rounds. Conversely, with 32 points, Getafe climbed from 13th to 11th position.

Thanh Quy