When you think of Spanish football, the name Real Madrid is basically synonymous with trophies, glitz, and the kind of global stardom that makes your head spin. But then you have Club Deportiva Minera. Unless you’re a die-hard fan of the lower Spanish tiers or happen to live in the tiny village of Llano del Beal, you probably wouldn't have known them from a hole in the ground until recently.
The story of Club Deportiva Minera vs Real Madrid matches is essentially a one-chapter book, but man, what a chapter it was. We are talking about a team from the Segunda Federación—that’s the fourth tier of the Spanish pyramid—getting the chance of a lifetime to host the most successful club in European history.
Why this match actually happened
In Spain, the Copa del Rey is the great equalizer. It’s that one time of year where a team with a stadium that barely holds 2,000 people can theoretically knock out a squad valued at over a billion euros.
Minera didn't just stumble into this. They earned their stripes by pulling off a massive upset against Deportivo Alavés in the earlier rounds of the 2024-25 competition. They fought to a 2-2 draw and then held their nerve in a penalty shootout to win 4-2. That win set the stage for the big one on January 6, 2025. Three Kings Day. A literal holiday in Spain.
The Night the Giants Came to Town
Football fans love a giant-killing, but Real Madrid doesn't usually like being the giant that dies. For the first-ever meeting between these two, the match wasn't actually held at Minera’s tiny Angel Celdrán ground. It was moved to the Estadio Municipal Cartagonova in Cartagena to accommodate about 14,000 screaming fans.
Honestly, the atmosphere was electric. You had kids in Minera scarves sitting next to people who probably support Madrid 364 days a year but wanted to see their local boys do the impossible.
How the game played out
If you were hoping for a miracle, the first five minutes were a bit of a buzzkill. Federico Valverde—a guy who runs like he has three lungs—thumped home a volley almost immediately.
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- 5th Minute: Federico Valverde scores (0-1).
- 13th Minute: Eduardo Camavinga doubles it with a header (0-2).
- 28th Minute: Arda Güler shows everyone why he’s a wonderkid with a clinical finish (0-3).
By the time the halftime whistle blew, the dream was sort of over, but the party wasn't. Real Madrid didn't just park the bus or play keep-away. They kept attacking. Luka Modrić, who is basically a footballing wizard at this point, curled one into the bottom corner in the 55th minute.
The most heartwarming part? The home crowd gave Modrić a standing ovation. Even when you're getting beat 4-0, you can't help but appreciate greatness when it's standing ten feet away from you.
Arda Güler and the Fran Martínez Show
While the scoreline ended 5-0, thanks to a second goal from Arda Güler in the 88th minute, the score could have been way worse.
Minera’s goalkeeper, Fran Martínez, had the game of his life. Even with stars like Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior coming off the bench in the second half, Martínez was throwing himself at everything. He saved shots from Mbappé that usually go in 99 times out of 100.
It was a classic "I lost but I'm proud" performance.
Club Deportiva Minera vs Real Madrid matches stats at a glance
Looking at the numbers from that January 6 clash tells a pretty lopsided story, but it captures the gap between the divisions:
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- Possession: Real Madrid 66% - CD Minera 34%
- Total Shots: Real Madrid 33 - CD Minera 4
- Shots on Target: Real Madrid 21 - CD Minera 1
- Final Score: 0-5
Minera did have one moment that almost blew the roof off the stadium. Omar Perdomo caught a ball sweet and sent a long-range rocket toward Andriy Lunin’s goal. It whistled just past the post. If that had gone in, the score wouldn't have mattered; that moment would have been immortalized in Murcian folklore forever.
The Aftermath and Modern Context
Fast forward to where we are now in early 2026. Real Madrid has had a wild ride since that match. They’ve gone through managerial shifts—Xabi Alonso had a stint, and now we’ve seen Álvaro Arbeloa step into the hot seat after some turbulent times.
In a weird twist of fate, Madrid actually got a taste of their own medicine recently. Just a few days ago, on January 14, 2026, they were dumped out of the Copa del Rey by Albacete, a second-division side. It just goes to show that while they handled Minera with professional ease, the "magic of the cup" eventually bites everyone.
What happened to CD Minera?
They didn't let the 5-0 loss break them. Currently, they are sitting mid-table in Group 4 of the Segunda Federación. They’re still that scrappy team from a mining village, playing in the "Red Eagle" kits.
The money they made from the ticket sales and TV rights of that Madrid game basically secured their budget for years. For a club founded in 1927 that spent most of its life in the regional leagues, playing Real Madrid wasn't a defeat. It was a graduation.
Why we still talk about these mismatches
Critics often say these games are a waste of time. "Why watch a 5-0 blowout?" they ask.
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They miss the point.
Football isn't just about the Champions League final or who wins the Ballon d'Or. It’s about the 14,000 people in Cartagena who got to see Luka Modrić play in person. It’s about Arda Güler using a cup match to prove he belongs in the starting eleven.
Most of all, it's about the Minera players. Most of those guys have day jobs or are balancing football with studies. For 90 minutes, they shared a pitch with the best in the world.
Takeaways for your next football trivia night:
- CD Minera is based in Llano del Beal, Murcia.
- They knocked out Alavés to get the Madrid match.
- Arda Güler scored his first brace for Madrid in this fixture.
- The match was held in Cartagena's Cartagonova stadium, not Minera's home ground.
If you want to follow Minera's journey back to the big stage, keep an eye on the Segunda Federación Group 4 standings. They play UD Melilla next on January 18, and while there aren't any Galacticos on the other side this time, the stakes for a club of their size are just as high.
To see how the other side of this coin looks, check out the recent match reports on Real Madrid's shock exit to Albacete to see how the giants are currently struggling with the very tournament that gave Minera their finest hour.