Real Madrid thrashed by third division Alcorcon
- 00:02:09
- ITN
Real Madrid thrashed by third division Alcorcon
Real Madrid have suffered an astonishing 4-0 defeat at third-tier side Alcorcon in the Copa del Rey. Real were missing their two most expensive signings, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, but were still undone by a club with a budget 400 times smaller. It was the third defeat in five matches for Manuel Pellegrini's side and piled more pressure on the Chilean coach after Saturday's 0-0 draw at Sporting Gijon and last week's 3-2 home defeat to AC Milan in the Champions League. "There is neither reason or explanation to give for the performance of the team tonight. It is a shame, we have to face the consequences, each one of us has to take responsibility and to try in the next game to change totally," Pellegrini said. A fired-up Alcorcon, who play in the same league as Real's youth team Castilla, laid siege to the visitors' goal in the frantic early stages of the last-32 clash, forcing Jerzy Dudek into a couple of smart saves with shots from distance. Former Real youth player Borja Gomez gave Alcorcon a shock lead in the 16th minute when he cut in from the right and curled a precise shot into the bottom left corner. Spanish defender Alvaro Arbeloa inexplicably clipped the ball into his own net six minutes later before Fernando Bejar headed against Dudek's left post. Ernesto Gomez made it three five minutes before the break, side-footing home Diego Cascon's cross from the right, and Borja pounced on a loose ball to make it four in the 52nd minute. Real sporting director Jorge Valdano apologised to the Madrid fans for the side's woeful display. "The first thing is to apologize to the Madrid fans. Secondly and trying to be positive, this can also be a starting point. It's been a lesson in humility and the humility has to serve us to work with professionalism and turn this night into a starting point for this team to go forward," Valdano said. Real president Florentino Perez, who spent millions on players in the summer, was watching from the stands at Alcorcon's tiny stadium, which had its capacity boosted to 4,500 from 3,000 for the match.
ITN | October 28, 2009
