Albacete vs Al Kholood

Alberto González made eight substitutions in the 60th minute, completely reshaping his side. The most impactful change was the introduction of Tomás Inglés, the young Murcian attacker who had only joined the action at the hour mark.

Albacete had hit the woodwork again through Velilla in the 55th minute — a looping header from a wide free-kick — but the breakthrough finally came in the 77th minute. Inglés picked up the ball on the edge of the box and saw his initial shot blocked, but his second attempt was deflected by Lorenzo Aguado, wrong-footing the Al Kholood goalkeeper for 1-1.

Just four minutes later, the comeback was complete. Inglés pressed high and forced a turnover near the Al Kholood area, then squared for Marcos Moreno to finish calmly into the far corner from close range, making it 2-1 in the 81st minute.

Inglés almost added a third with a late volley that flew over the bar, while Al Kholood's Mohamed had the final chance of the game in the 89th minute, shooting high.

• Tomás Inglés (Albacete) — Introduced in the 61st minute, he directly created both goals and was the decisive influence. His shot led to the equaliser and his assist set up the winner. Clear candidate for man of the match.
• Marcos Moreno (Albacete) — The young forward took his chance with composure, scoring the winner just minutes after entering the pitch at half-time.
• Gustavo Cruz / Guga (Al Kholood) — The Brazilian opened the scoring with a poacher's header and was a threat throughout.
• Seydouba Cissé (Al Kholood) — The former Leganés midfielder controlled the first-half tempo and showed why he knows Spanish football.

Albacete struck the woodwork three times (Álex Rubio 6', Velilla 55', Tomás Inglés late on) — a stat that flatters Al Kholood's resistance. The Spanish side dominated the final third after the mass substitutions, while Al Kholood's first-half control produced only the one goal from a rebound. The 150 spectators at Pinatar Arena saw a game of two distinct halves: Al Kholood's possession-based first 45 minutes versus Albacete's relentless pressure after the break.

This was Albacete's second pre-season friendly and first win of the summer, following a 0-0 draw against Leganés on 17 July. Alberto González's side continued their training camp at Pinatar Arena with a third friendly against Qatari side Al-Rayyan SC on 24 July. Albacete will open their 2026/27 La Liga Hypermotion campaign away at UD Las Palmas.

For Al Kholood, managed by Englishman Des Buckingham, the match was part of their Spanish pre-season tour. They had previously drawn 1-1 with Kaizer Chiefs on 15 July and also faced Elche CF during their stay in Spain before returning to Saudi Arabia for the start of the Saudi Pro League season.

A tale of two halves and a reminder of the value of squad depth in pre-season. Albacete's mass substitutions changed the dynamic completely, and Tomás Inglés made an undeniable case for a starting role. Al Kholood looked sharp in possession for 60 minutes but faded once the legs tired. For a mid-July friendly, the competitive edge was encouraging from both sides.