Real Madrid defeated in Lisbon: Arbeloa takes full responsibility

Real Madrid defeated in Lisbon: Arbeloa takes full responsibility

After another setback for Real Madrid on Benfica's turf in the Champions League, Álvaro Arbeloa faced the media with a clear and direct message, offering no protection for his players. The Madrid coach took full responsibility for the defeat.

Yet everything started well for Los Blancos, with a quick goal from Kylian Mbappé. But Benfica responded swiftly. Andreas Schjelderup equalized before Vangelis Pavlidis put the Lisbon side ahead from the penalty spot before halftime.

In the second half, Schjelderup struck again. Mbappé pulled one back, but it wasn’t enough to turn the game around. Late in the match, things got even worse for Real with red cards for Raúl Asencio and Rodrygo. Benfica finally sealed their 4-2 victory in stoppage time thanks to goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.

After the match, Arbeloa admitted his team hadn’t played at the required level for the full 90 minutes, reminding everyone that he had already accepted responsibility for previous underperformances:

When the team doesn’t play at the expected level, the blame falls entirely on me. We still have two matches to play. The objective is clear: qualification.

Despite this defeat, Real Madrid are not out of the Champions League. Los Merengues will have to go through the play-offs to reach the Round of 16, with a possible clash against Benfica… or Bodø/Glimt, as early as February.