Real Madrid captain pleads for forgiveness after Copa del Rey elimination: ‘We have hit rock bottom’
Real Madrid’s nightmare run only continued on Wednesday night as they fell to a 2-3 defeat to Albacete in the Copa del Rey Round of 16, just days after losing to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final.
The result means the Merengues have been eliminated from the Spanish Cup in what is one of their most humiliating eliminations ever. Further, they have now lost out on two trophies in less than a week.
At no stage, however, did Real Madrid look convincing last night, and they never led at any point in the game, with Albacete taking the lead on all three occasions and the European stalwarts constantly chasing a deficit.
Real Madrid captain Dani Carvajal was the only player to face the media after the embarrassing defeat.
While he did not speak for long, his statement came as a heartfelt apology to fans for the team’s disastrous week.
"Today, we have hit rock bottom. A Second Division team has eliminated us, and congratulations to them," he began, acknowledging the defeat.
"Starting tomorrow, we have to do an individual and collective self-criticism," he added on the next step.
The captain then stayed positive and vowed to fight in all remaining competitions until the very end.
"We are in time to get back to the season. We have two fantastic competitions for which we are going to fight. The team right now is not at its best and we have to work hard."
The veteran defender also spoke on where the team must improve and do better on the field, saying,
"We all have to give a lot more and it’s a reality. That’s the message: go all out."
Finally, he apologised to fans around the globe for the team’s disappointing performance.
"We also apologise to the fans, and I think we are not, up to the expectations of this club. We promise to leave our lives in the games of the coming months so that the situation is reversed."