Albacete's Jefet Pitancor, who scored two goals to lead his team to the next round of the King's Cup, couldn't hold back his tears. Despite the overwhelming joy, Pitancor admitted he never felt at ease, even after scoring his team's third goal. "I wasn't in a good mental state. I left football and started working and training in the neighborhood where I live," he said. "With the help of my family and my psychologist, I came back, and today I feel an immense happiness." Pitancor, who came on as a substitute in the second half, scored a goal in the 81st minute to make it 2-1 before sealing a stunning 3-2 victory with another goal in stoppage time. This victory made Albacete one of the biggest surprises in the history of the King's Cup, while Real Madrid suffered an early and unexpected exit. For Pitancor, that magical moment was the culmination of a career full of ups and downs across Europe. Born in Las Palmas in 1993, he began his journey at Hercules before playing for a number of Spanish teams, mostly in lower divisions. After failing to prove himself in Spain, Pitancor moved to Austrian third-division side Stadel-Paura, the first stop on a journey that also took him to Romania and Greece. Pitancor, currently on loan at Albacete from Olympiacos, finally stole the spotlight after being away from the sport for about a decade. After feeling disappointed and mentally exhausted, he left football for six months and worked as an electrician.
