Real Madrid suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Getafe in La Liga on Monday, leaving them four points behind leaders Barcelona.
Alvaro Arbeloa’s side suffered a second consecutive defeat in the Spanish top flight for the first time since 2020, defeated by Martin Satriano’s brilliant volley.
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Madrid forward Franco Mastantuono was sent off in stoppage time for an apparent disagreement, making a bad night even 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, being competent in football is not enough and Getafe played a great game.”
With France superstar Kylian Mbappe out undergoing treatment for a knee sprain, Madrid included Gonzalo Garcia in attack alongside Brazilian 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 extended their lead by beating Villarreal on Saturday.
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Vinicius, who has been in excellent form in 2026, missed a good starting chance after an inconsistent start to the season.
The winger headed towards goal but David Soria made a good save with his foot.
Arda Guler’s brilliant roulette almost gave Madrid the breakthrough but Soria saved the Turkish forward’s strike.
Getafe were left troubled by a painful collision between Madrid defenders Antonio Rudiger and Diego Rico, in which the Spaniard’s head was struck by the German’s knee.
Uruguay forward Satriano broke the deadlock with a delicious strike from the edge of the box after compatriot Mauro Arambarri pointed the ball in his direction.
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Soria produced a brilliant save from Vinicius in the second half and the Brazilian demanded more support from the Madrid fans.
The team weren’t giving him much to cheer about, though, as Rudiger came close to equalizing with a header.
– ‘No one is throwing in the towel’ –
It was an unconvincing performance from a Madrid side that visited Celta Vigo in La Liga on Friday before they host Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the last 16 of the Champions League, with it uncertain whether top scorer Mbappe will be fit to play.
Mastantuno was sent off in stoppage time after appearing to have said something to the referee, before Getafe were also reduced to 10 men when Adrian Lisso kicked the ball away and was shown a second yellow card.
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“No one is giving up here, this is Real Madrid, you don’t give up until the last game,” Arbeloa said.
“Four points is a gap we can close and we will fight for it.”
Jose Bordalas’s Getafe moved up to 11th and were able to celebrate their first win at the Bernabéu since 2008.
“It’s very difficult to get points when you come here, I have to congratulate the team for the work in defense, then we got our goal and we could have even scored another goal in the end,” said Getafe defender Kiko Femenia.
RBS/MW
