Real Madrid and Getafe CF faced off on Matchday 26 of LaLiga in the small Madrid derby at the Bernabéu. While Los Blancos urgently needed points in the title race, Getafe, sitting in the lower mid-table, were battling to keep their distance from the relegation zone. In the end, the visitors surprisingly prevailed 1:0 in a heated match marked by many interruptions.
Getafe entered the match in 14th place, while Real Madrid had slipped behind leaders FC Barcelona again following a 2:1 defeat to Osasuna. A home win against their neighbors from Madrid was therefore essential to stay on the Catalans’ heels.
Getafe, who began in a defensive 5-4-1 formation, started more boldly than expected but lacked the necessary precision in build-up play. The visitors had last beaten Real Madrid in 2022, with results in recent years mostly being narrow. Accordingly, belief in an upset seemed to be present. Getafe played physically from the outset and had already committed six fouls and received one booking after ten minutes.
As in the Champions League match against Benfica last Wednesday, coach Álvaro Arbeloa was without striker Kylian Mbappé due to a knee injury. This made the in-form Vinícius Júnior all the more important, having scored six goals in his previous five competitive matches.
In the 13th minute, Los Blancos created the first major chance of the match. Sebastián Boselli, under pressure from young Thiago Pitarch, failed to clear the ball properly and played it straight into the feet of Vinícius Júnior. He stormed freely toward goal but placed his shot just wide of the left post. On closer inspection, it became clear that goalkeeper David Soria had crucially deflected the effort, preventing the deficit at the last second.
Around ten minutes later, a visibly unsettled Getafe allowed the next dangerous opportunity for the home side. Technician Arda Güler dribbled into the penalty area from the left in textbook fashion, even pulling off the Zidane trick along the way, and got off a shot from a tight angle. David Soria parried again, proving to be a key support for Getafe.
As the match progressed, the visitors offered almost nothing going forward, apart from stopping their opponents with fouls and repeatedly breaking the rhythm of the game. The whistling in the Bernabéu grew louder. Completely out of nowhere, however, Getafe took the lead. After a clearing header by Antonio Rüdiger, chaos ensued at the edge of the penalty area. The ball fell to Martín Satriano, who struck it perfectly on the volley and smashed it into the top right corner beyond the reach of Thibaut Courtois. Thus, the visitors went into halftime with a somewhat fortunate 1:0 lead despite having just 21 percent possession. Accompanied by whistles, both teams headed down the tunnel.
After the break, however, Los Blancos did not step up as expected. On the contrary, the first shot of the second half belonged to Getafe. Shortly thereafter, Arbeloa responded with a triple substitution. Defenders David Alaba and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who had shown too many individual errors, were taken off. In addition, the 18-year-old Pitarch, who had celebrated his starting lineup and LaLiga debut in this heated match, was substituted. Daniel Carvajal, Dean Huijsen, and Rodrygo came on. Indeed, Real Madrid came closer to equalizing shortly afterward, but David Soria clawed Vinícius Júnior’s shot out of the corner. Rodrygo was also unable to convert the rebound.
After around an hour, Real fans seemed to have finally lost patience, both with Getafe’s robust style of play and with their own team, which increasingly got involved in provocations and found few creative solutions. A loud chorus of whistles accompanied the chaotic proceedings from then on.
The home side continued to struggle in build-up play and repeatedly made unnecessary mistakes but still managed to create several dangerous chances. A header from Rodrygo was parried at the last second by an outstanding David Soria and deflected narrowly past the far post. Carvajal tried to slide in but missed the chance to push the ball over the line from close range. Getafe sat deep, went down repeatedly, and played the clock expertly.
In stoppage time, Franco Mastantuono needlessly picked up a red card. The referee sent him off after he had apparently used inappropriate language toward him. For kicking the ball away after an offside whistle, Getafe’s Adrián Liso also received a second yellow card.
Thus ended an absurd match with a 1:0 victory for the Madrid suburb club. With a destructive and at times overly harsh display, Getafe truly brought down Real Madrid and ended their run of 16 defeats at the Bernabéu, where they had not won since 2008. In the end, a wonder strike from Satriano decided a match characterized by constant interruptions, numerous fouls, cards, and piercing whistles from the stands.
For the visitors, Matchday 27 of LaLiga continues next weekend at home against Real Betis. After the defeat, Real Madrid now sit four points behind league leaders Barcelona and are gradually losing ground in the title race with their second consecutive league loss. Already on Friday, they face an away match at Celta Vigo. This is followed by a Round of 16 clash in the Champions League against Manchester City.