Real Madrid unable to break down stubborn Jose Bordalas masterclass from Getafe

Real Madrid 0-1 Getafe

Real Madrid knew that they would face a stubborn Getafe side on Monday night at the Bernabeu, but it’s difficult to prepare for a well-organised Jose Bordalas performance.

The game started off well for Los Blancos, with Sebastian Boselli, who made his first start for Getafe, caught on the ball by another starting debutant in Thiago Pitarch. The teenager tapped it through to Vinicius Junior, who raced clear, but could not beat David Soria’s large boot one-on-one. Getafe showed little fear of Real Madrid though, and began to work their way up field.

Having lost Diego Rico at the back post, Trent Alexander-Arnold made a crucial block to stop his shot from reaching the corner. Arda Guler executed a perfect Maradona turn on the edge of the box to open up a left-footed shot that was palmed over by Soria again, but with 20 minutes to go, that was the end of the first half highlight reel from Real Madrid, who met a brick wall in the Getafe defence.

𝗦𝗜𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗢
𝗖𝗢𝗦𝗔𝗦

pic.twitter.com/9pu05XStFp

— Getafe C.F. (@GetafeCF) March 2, 2026

It was the pairing of Luis Milla and Mauro Arambarri who began launching Getafe forward and then pouncing on the loose balls in midfield. From there, Arambarri was first to a loose clearance from Antonio Rudiger, and Martin Satriano stepped into a thunderous volley into the top right-corner, caught sickly sweet. That capped a difficult half for Rudiger, who was robbed in his own box, leading to an Arambarri chance, and was fortunate to avoid a red card after kneeing Rico in the head on the ground. Whistles greeted the home side after the referee’s own blast.

Real Madrid crank up the pressure

After 10 minutes, Alvaro Arbeloa saw nothing of the reaction he wanted, and so took matters into his own hands, sending on Dani Carvajal, Dean Huijsen and Rodrygo Goes for Trent Alexander-Arnold, David Alaba and Pitarch. From that point on, Real Madrid began to recycle the ball much better. Fede Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni were beating Milla Arambarri to the loose balls. Vinicius was finally getting some joy from Juan Iglesias on the left side, and Getafe were left gasping for oxygen.

It wasn’t until the 75th minute that the first real chance came though, and it was Rudiger who had it. Franco Mastantuono, on for Guler, found his glancing header with an inswinging corner. At first it looked as if it would nestle in the far corner, and then as if Huijsen would not it in at the back post, but it flashed wide all the same. Five minutes later, it was Rodrygo’s header at the back post from a Mastantuono cross that was saved by Soria, and Carvajal was unable to convert with his sliding effort the other side of the goal.

Into the final five minutes of the match though, Getafe looked to have whethered the worst of the storm. Franco Mastantuono looked to have been sent clear by Fede Valverde, but by the time he got a right-footed shot off, the angle was tight and he was under pressure. Rodrygo also failed to connect with a header from close in, but it was always straining to get to it. Even if Real Madrid had applied pressure in the second period, it was telling that Getafe spent most of stoppage time in the Real Madrid half.

Symbolic of the frustration ricocheting around the Bernabeu, Mastantuono earned a red card for dissent with a minute remaining. Adrian Liso then picked up one of his own for a second yellow, kicking the ball away at what he thought was the final whistle. When it did come, Getafe’s players erupted in celebration as the Real Madrid players raced the fans to the exits.

Getafe pick up just their second win ever at the Bernabeu, the last coming 18 years ago. It was another feather in Bordalas’ cap too, his first ever victory over Los Blancos, and nobody could argue it was not deserved. Although it was a piece of brilliance from Satriano that decided it, Los Azulones carried out their game plan. Smart and scrappy in the first half, in the second, their resilience bent under the pressure, but Soria made only two saves of note, and it never looked like breaking. If his players do any sleeping, they will wake up eight points clear of the drop in 11th.

Real Madrid spent much of the game boxing their own shortcomings. Unable to create gaps in the Getafe backline, over-reliant on individual brilliance, it was the only clear defensive error of the game that gave Los Blancos a clear opening. Arbeloa’s chequered records continues, but Real Madrid’s title challenge is under threat again as they drift four points away from Barcelona.

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