Real Madrid missed a golden chance to close the gap at the top of La Liga after suffering a surprise home defeat to Getafe CF at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The decisive moment came before half-time when Martin Satriano unleashed a stunning volley that flew into the top corner beyond Thibaut Courtois. The breathtaking strike proved enough to seal a shock victory for the visitors and condemn Madrid to a second consecutive league loss.
The result leaves Madrid four points behind leaders FC Barcelona, with both sides having played 26 matches. It was a missed opportunity for the capital club to move within touching distance of the summit.
Madrid were once again without star forward Kylian Mbappe, who has been sidelined with an external ligament injury in his left knee since the end of 2025. His absence has been keenly felt, particularly in attack.
Getafe’s disciplined and determined defending frustrated the hosts throughout the evening. Goalkeeper David Soria delivered a composed performance, denying Madrid on several occasions. Vinicius Jr had a clear chance to open the scoring but was thwarted by Soria when clean through on goal.
Manager Alvaro Arbeloa reacted quickly after the break, making three substitutions within the first 10 minutes of the second half. Among those withdrawn was Trent Alexander-Arnold. The changes injected urgency into Madrid’s play, with crosses into the box causing the most danger.
Antonio Rudiger headed narrowly wide at the near post, while substitute Rodrygo sent a looping header across goal that Dani Carvajal could not convert at the far post. Despite their increased tempo, Madrid could not find a breakthrough.
The frustration boiled over in stoppage time when Franco Mastantuono was shown a red card for abusive language toward referee Alejandro Muniz Ruiz. Moments later, Getafe’s Adrian Liso was also dismissed after receiving a second yellow card for time wasting.
Arbeloa has now lost four of his 12 matches in charge, a run made more difficult by injuries to both Mbappe and England midfielder Jude Bellingham.
Madrid will look to steady the ship when they face Celta Vigo on Friday evening (20:00 GMT), hoping to avoid a damaging third straight league defeat as the title race intensifies.
