Alvaro Arbeloa responded when asked if the La Liga title race with Barcelona was over after Real Madrid’s loss to Getafe

Alvaro Arbeloa refused to give up the competition for the Spanish League title with Barcelona after Real Madrid’s defeat by Getafe 2-1.

Real Madrid missed the chance to close the gap on leaders Barcelona after Martin Santriano’s 39th-minute goal gave Getafe a shock victory at the Santiago Bernabeu. This means Los Blancos are now four points behind Hansi Flick’s side, with both now having played 26 games.

Speaking after the match, Arbeloa insisted the La Liga title was still within reach, stressing that Real Madrid are only four points behind Barcelona, ​​a gap he believes they can close.

He said: “There are 36 points remaining and we have no other goal than to fight to get 36 points.” “No one will give up here. This is Real Madrid and they will not give up anything until the last match. Obviously, the four points difference is the difference that we believe we can reduce, and that is what we will fight and work for, starting from the next match in Vigo. This is Real Madrid and no one will give up here”.

Real Madrid’s problems were exacerbated when Franco Mastantuono was booked for offensive language towards referee Alejandro Muniz Ruiz in stoppage time. However, Getafe’s Adrian Leso was also sent off moments later after receiving a second yellow card for wasting time.

Since Arbeloa took charge, Real Madrid have lost four of their 12 matches. The loss to Getafe marked their first consecutive defeat in the league after the 2-1 defeat to Osasuna.

“Nothing happened that we didn’t expect” – Arbeloa on Real Madrid’s defeat to Osasuna

Arbeloa claimed that he expected Getafe to pose a challenge after losing to its fans. While he believed they had clearer chances than Getafe, he praised the opposition, saying they had done a fantastic job.

“I think we had clearer chances than Getafe,” Arbeloa continued. “It’s obviously a game in which we could have done things better, but it’s also a game in which we competed and had clearer chances than they did. We tried to score from the first minute. We had Vinicius’s chance in the first half, which was very clear; and in the second half, Rudiger and Rodrigo’s chances. We had many chances, and I think we deserved to score a goal, but football is not about deserving. Getafe did a great job, they always do. We knew what kind of game we were going to face. Nothing happened that we didn’t expect.”

Real Madrid will next meet in the league against Celta Vigo on Friday.