Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa 'upset, angry and disappointed' at 'unfair' Eduardo Camavinga red card in Bayern Munich defeat
By Tom Masters
Updated 16/04/2026 at 09:13 GMT+1
React to this story
Real Madrid head coach Alvaro Arbeloa said it was ”unbelievable” that Eduardo Camavinga was sent off as his side were beaten in the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals by Bayern Munich.
‘We feel really angry’ – Arbeloa in disbelief over ‘unfair’ Camavinga red card
Video credit: TNT Sports
Trailing 2-1 heading into the second leg at the Allianz Arena, Los Blancos got off to a lightning start when Arda Guler scored after just 35 seconds, the quickest goal of this season’s Champions League so far.
But, in a thrilling ding-dong battle in Bavaria, Aleksandar Pavlovic restored Bayern's aggregate lead five minutes later before Guler’s free-kick put the Spanish side 2-1 up on the night.
Harry Kane levelled the scores before Kylian Mbappe put Real Madrid back into the lead before the break.
The second half was a little more cagey and the match seemed destined to go into extra time.
Four minutes from time though, Camavinga was sent off for a second yellow card, just 24 minutes after he came on, after he felled Kane and held onto the ball in the aftermath, adjudged to have delayed the restart.
The reaction by his teammates to the decision was one of outrage and that continued long after the final whistle, by which time Luis Diaz and Michael Olise both scored brilliant goals to send Bayern to the semi-finals for a tie with reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2026/04/16/image-49fcc538-8ef3-4fa5-967f-07c7b0eef38e-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
Watch: Drama as Camavinga sees red after just 24 minutes on pitch
Video credit: TNT Sports
Arbeloa himself could not believe that Camavinga was sent off, while Guler was sent off after the final whistle for his protests to the referee.
”I think that was a great match,” Arbeloa told TNT Sports.
”The second leg, we put players like [Eder] Militao, like Jude Bellingham, like Ferland Mendy that could not play in the first leg and I think we did a great match here.
”We scored three goals and we had the chances to score more goals but with the red card, everything was over.
- Arteta admits Arsenal 'must improve a lot'
- Real Madrid linked with Romero, Manchester United may miss out on Iraola - Paper Round
- Alonso availability leaves Arne Slot in 'precarious' position at Liverpool, says Joe Cole
”It is really unbelievable that you send off a player for this action, I can’t believe that.
”It is not possible in a play like that, in a match like that, that you are sent off for this, and we feel really, really upset, really angry, really disappointed and I think all of this is a little bit unfair.”
The defeat in the Champions League puts significant pressure on Arbeloa, who replaced Xabi Alonso in the dugout in January.
Los Blancos are nine points adrift of rivals Barcelona in La Liga and are out of the Copa del Rey, leaving them at serious risk of a second consecutive season with no major trophy.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2026/04/15/image-1716a857-1f38-4750-b1dd-839a6559bd56-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
‘He’s cost his team’ – Gerrard on Camavinga's ‘moment of madness’
Video credit: TNT Sports
There is still one more Clasico remaining for Madrid to give themselves a chance of returning to the title race, but Arbeloa himself admits that the challenge in the league is ”difficult”.
When asked if the defeat in the Champions League was a key moment in their season, the former Liverpool defender said: ”Maybe, because in La Liga everything is really difficult.
”We are nine points the difference with Barcelona but we have some matches to play and we will have to give our best.”
Arbeloa added that he accepted responsibility for the loss to Bayern.
"I am the one responsible for the defeats and I will always take the consequences from that," he said.
"I am so proud of the players. This is Real Madrid. La Liga is very tough. We have to keep fighting until the last matchday. We have a badge to defend.
"We feel really upset, really angry, really disappointed. This felt like a defining game in our season."
Stream the Premier League, men’s and women’s FA Cups, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Conference League and more live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
Related Topics
Related Matches
FC Bayern Munich
/images.sports.gracenote.com/images/lib/basic/sport/football/club/logo/300/4017.png)
4
3
Real Madrid
/images.sports.gracenote.com/images/lib/basic/sport/football/club/logo/300/4103.png)
Aggregate score (6-4)
Commentary
Advertisement
Advertisement