Yesterday I attended a match of Real Madrid Castilla for the very first time. The reserve team of Los Blancos is coached by Álvaro Arbeloa. You might know him as a former player of Real Madrid. As a Spanish right back he was part of the legendary squad of Vicente del Bosque that became world champion and won the Euro’s back to back. He has been working at the club for five years now and this season he took over the second team from club legend Raúl.
Castilla competes in the Spanish third tier. Let me briefly explain how it works, because it is not very straightforward. The Spanish third division is currently known as the Primera Federación and represents the level below La Liga and La Liga Hypermotion. The league consists of two groups of twenty teams, with clubs competing for both promotion and relegation. For Castilla, promotion to the second division is possible. They last played there about a decade ago. Well known players who once came through Castilla include Álvaro Morata, Nacho Fernández and Dani Carvajal.
Today there are also several talented youngsters in the squad. Some of them have already trained with the first team and even appeared on the bench. I was particularly looking forward to seeing players such as Joan Martínez, Jorge Cestero and Thiago Pitarch.
The league is very physical and features several clubs with loyal and passionate fanbases. One of them is Cacereño, located roughly 300 kilometres from Madrid. They happened to be Castilla’s opponent in the match I attended, and the side from Extremadura currently sits near the bottom of the table.
Before the match even started I was impressed to see around 250 away supporters making the trip to Madrid. It was something I did not expect at all for a third division game. The weather conditions were far from ideal. It rained cats and dogs and the pitch was completely soaked. It promised to be a tough match.
The Real Madrid youngsters started the game well. Throughout the first half they controlled the play. The visitors had to sit deep and hope for a counterattack. The heavy pitch made things difficult for both sides. Halftime arrived with no goals.
In the second half the rain continued to pour down and the football did not get any better. Cacereño decided to defend even deeper. This led to constant pressure from Castilla. Pressing is something Arbeloa truly values in football and his team showed it.
The pressure from Real Madrid Castilla kept increasing. In the 78th minute the breakthrough finally came. Left back Víctor Valdepeñas delivered a perfect cross and Álvaro Ginés headed the ball powerfully past the goalkeeper. A fully deserved lead for the youngsters.
Four minutes later came the decisive moment. With less than ten minutes on the clock, Castilla were awarded a penalty. The referee was sent to the VAR screen but stuck with his original decision. The spot kick was converted calmly for 2–0. In this league both teams have the right to request a VAR review once per match. The visiting coach used this option but without success.
The match ended in a win for Los Blancos Junior. The conditions were difficult but the boys gave everything. Despite lacking experience at the highest level, they managed the final stages with great maturity.
After the final whistle I even had the opportunity to attend the press conference of head coach Álvaro Arbeloa. This made my first Castilla experience even more special. A wet but unforgettable first encounter with Real Madrid Castilla. I will always remember the remarkable number of fans who travelled three hours for a third division match. This is simply unthinkable in Belgium.
