Chaos meets the playbook: Albacete’s Moreno spots the real Madrid vs Barca divide
4 February 2026
Moreno explains the difference between facing Barcelona and Real Madrid, admitting regret for the many chances that cost Albacete their place in the Copa del Rey.
Moreno scored Albacete's only goal against Barcelona, but it wasn’t enough to reach the semi-finals as Barcelona led with goals from Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araújo on Tuesday.
Albacete had previously pulled off a big upset in the Round of 16, beating Real Madrid 3-2, but their cup run ended at the hands of Barcelona.
In quotes cited by Mundo Deportivo, Moreno said: "No one expected us to reach this stage, especially given the strength of the teams we faced. But thanks to our faith and hard work, we got here, and we’re incredibly happy."
Asked whether playing Real Madrid differs from playing Barcelona, he answered: "The answer is yes and no. You’re always dealing with world-class players who can flip the script at any moment. But there’s a larger system at Barcelona compared to Real Madrid, which is more chaotic in its approach."
He added that, on the other hand, this makes Barcelona more predictable in some respects. The key, he said, lies in the accuracy of their passes, no matter how well you think you know them.
Punchline time: If football had a reset button, Barca would press it twice; if not, don’t worry—Madrid will press chaos until the whistle does, and we’ll all pretend that makes sense.