Real Madrid were jeered off by their own fans after being dumped out of the Copa del Rey by minnows Alcorcon after only managing a 1-0 fourth round second leg win at an expectant Bernabeu.
Madrid suffered one of the biggest humiliations in their history after losing the first leg 4-0, and the Spanish giants could not undo the damage as battling Alcorcon frustrated their big-spending neighbours.
Rafael van der Vaart’s 81st-minute goal gave Madrid the victory on the night, but it was not enough to save the home side from either exiting the competition or incurring the wrath of their own fans.
The supporters booed their side off at half-time, did the same midway through the second half when Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini substituted the impressive Lassana Diarra, and then again at the end of the match.
However, the capacity crowd did give third tier Alcorcon a tremendous ovation at the end as the club from the south of Madrid claimed an historic scalp.
The damage was done by their 4-0 first-leg loss and there have been calls for the head of coach Manuel Pellegrini.
“To lose to a team in the third division can’t be considered an achievement,” said the under-fire Pellegrini.
Real director general Jorge Valdano tried to be positive, but it was cold comfort for one of the biggest clubs in the world, and a club that spent vast sums on new players in the summer.
“You can’t say in the first leg, or the second, that we didn’t try,” said Valdano.
Perez has given Pellegrini his public backing, however, saying the coach would see out the season regardless of the team’s performance in both domestic competition and in Europe. After 10 games, they lie second in the league, one point behind bitter rivals Barcelona, and after four games in the Champions League, they are second in their group.
