Barcelona stay on course to defend their Copa del Rey title with a 2-1 win over Albacete.
'We've hit rock bottom; we've been knocked out by a second division team.'
Albacete's journeyman striker Jefte Betancor, who scored a stunning double on Wednesday to help his second-tier side knock Real Madrid out of the Copa del Rey, once considered swapping football for a career as an electrician.
The 42-year-old Arbeloa inherits a side trailing Barcelona by four points in LaLiga and reeling from a 3-2 defeat in Sunday's Spanish Super Cup final.
Kylian Mbappe criticised Real Madrid's lack of hunger and consistency after their 4-2 Champions League loss to Benfica, saying champions must show desire every time as Real slipped into the playoffs.
Adrien Rabiot scored two goals as AC Milan came from behind to earn a 3-1 victory at Como on Thursday.
For Mourinho, it was an emotional night at the Estadio da Luz, capped by an extraordinary 98th-minute header from Trubin that ensured Benfica snatched a last-16 spot on goal difference.
Real Madrid ended a turbulent week with a 2-0 LaLiga win over lowly Levante on Saturday courtesy of second-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Raul Asencio.
Real parted ways with Alonso a little more than seven months after appointing him, following a poor run of results in all competitions.
'The only thing I can do is on the pitch -- to give my all. I won't always be technically perfect, but I will always give 100% for the team.'
A superb late strike from Xavi allowed the Primera Liga leaders to snatch a 2-1 win away to a determined Albacete.
A second-string Atletico Madrid missed a penalty and had a man sent off in a 2-1 defeat at third-tier Albacete in their King's Cup last-32 first-leg match on Thursday.
Rayo Vallecano beat Albacete 1-0 on Wednesday as Spanish football returned in bizarre circumstances from its COVID-19 hiatus with the second half of a match that first kicked off six months ago but was suspended due to offensive chanting. The second division encounter, played without fans in attendance, was the first Spanish football match to take place since March after all soccer was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Second half of abandoned Rayo-Albacete will kick-off proceedings on return.
Andres Iniesta took his penchant for scoring dramatic goals to new heights on Sunday when the midfielder smashed home the winner deep into extra time to give Spain their first World Cup triumph.
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi set a La Liga record of 253 goals when he grabbed a hat-trick in Saturday's 5-1 win at home to Sevilla, the latest milestone for the four-times World Player of the Year.
After an almighty push by all parties concerned, Spain's La Liga roars back into action next week after a three-month pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with matches taking place every day and with everything to play for. The season resumes on Wednesday in bizarre circumstances with the second half of a Segunda Division match between Rayo Vallecano and Albacete that was abandoned in December due to offensive chanting.
Andres Iniesta will always have a special place in the hearts of Spanish soccer fans for scoring the dramatic extra-time goal that secured the Iberian nation's first world title in South Africa in 2010.
Sunday evening's match against Albacete will be the midfielder's first appearance after almost a month out recovering from fractured ribs.
A round-up of the weekend's action from Europe's leading leagues.
27-year-old Manuel Almunia would join Arsenal subject to a brief trial at the club.
Iniesta has spent all of his senior career at Barcelona and is their most decorated player ever along with Lionel Messi, having lifted 31 trophies, which is soon to be 32 if Barca clinch the Liga title on Sunday at Deportivo La Coruna.
Lionel Messi requires two more goals to reach 500 for Barcelona and will have his sights set on achieving the milestone against great rivals Real Madrid in Sunday's Clasico.
Gareth Bale marked his return to action after a long injury layoff by sealing a 2-0 victory for Real Madrid over Espanyol on Saturday to provisionally stretch Zinedine Zidane's side's lead at the top of La Liga to three points.
Factbox on Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi, who became his country's all-time top goalscorer on Tuesday when he scored his 55th international goal.
As the mercurial Messi rings in his 28th birthday, Rediff.com brings you all the exciting moments from the ace footballer's life.
A factbox on Barcelona and Argentina forward Lionel Messi
Atletico Madrid's Brazil-born forward Diego Costa has signed a formal letter stating his wish to play for adopted country Spain, ending a tug-of-war between the two powerhouses over the in-form 25-year-old.
Lionel Messi may lack a World Cup for Argentina but his 10 years with Barcelona have seen him rewrite the history books and become symbolic with the club's golden era.
First-timers Bosnia joined holders Spain, England and Russia in grabbing Europe's remaining automatic spots for the 2014 World Cup finals on Tuesday as the last round of group matches ended in joy, despair and shattered nerves.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Saturday
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