Bench Boss Arbeloa Ends Madrid's 15-Year El Sadar Streak
21 February 2026
Osasuna Stuns Real Madrid at El Sadar
Madrid suffer a surprise defeat at Osasuna's fortress.
At El Sadar Stadium this Saturday, a historic moment unfolded in La Liga, as Osasuna toppled Real Madrid 2-1 in round 25, breaking a royal fortress of 15 years.
The oddity is that the last defeat Real Madrid suffered at El Sadar came in 2011, during Jose Mourinho's tenure.
Back then, the current Madrid coach, Alvaro Arbeloa, was on the field, playing the full match in the Blancos’ shirt.
Today history repeated itself with Arbeloa, but from the opposite bench, as the Royal team risked surrendering the top spot to Barcelona, who host Levante on Sunday in the same round, two points behind Real Madrid in the title race.
Arbeloa’s Return and the Title Race
And the storyline now centers on Arbeloa at the helm, as Madrid chase the league lead while their chief rivals close in on their own turf.
Punchline: If defending were a crime, Madrid would be serving a life sentence.
Punchline: Arbeloa sits on the bench like a coach who still thinks it's a pizzeria.
