Elche 2-3 Real Madrid: Carlos Espí to the rescue

Real Madrid beat Elche 2-3 at the Martínez Valero in the Matchday 6 fixture of LaLiga EA Sports. Los Blancos went into the break with a two-goal lead, but their passivity in the second half gave the home side hope, and Elche managed to level the match. However, when everything seemed destined to end in a draw, Carlos Espí appeared at the very last moment to give the Madrid side the win.

For the league clash, Mourinho opted for Valverde and Tchouaméni as the double pivot, Güler as the attacking midfielder at the expense of Bellingham, and Diomandé, making his second start of the season, on the right wing. Meanwhile, Martín Anselmi rested Fer Niño for the first time this season and went with Osorio up front.

Once the ball was rolling, Los Blancos started by threatening Elche with a wayward Vinicius shot that went wide. Just four minutes in came the first booking of the match. Diomandé, who had been beaten by Tete Morente, had to pull back the Cádiz winger to stop a promising move. Tete himself had Elche’s first chance. His effort, unsuccessful, went into the side netting.

Past the midway point of the first half came Real Madrid’s opening goal. Güler struck the post with a superb free-kick that, much to Elche’s misfortune, ended up rebounding off Dituro’s hand and into the net. 0-1. A few minutes later, Diomandé, from the right flank, played a precise pass into the heart of the box for Mbappé, with a delicate finish, to send the ball into the back of the net.

In the closing stages, and with Elche looking a little rattled, Los Blancos had the chance to put the game to bed. An tireless Diomandé won the ball back in the opposition half and laid it off to Mbappé, who set up Vini for the Brazilian to shoot on goal. Dituro pushed the ball away well. Still, the home side also had a chance to pull one back before the break through an Osorio half-turn shot that went close to the Madrid goal.

The second half started somewhat flat, lacking the intensity of the first. Elche were getting into the final third with alarming ease against an unresponsive Real Madrid side that looked a lot like the one seen in the second half against Rayo. Even so, the home side failed to make the most of the chances they created. Martín Neto tried his luck with an effort that went into the side netting, and Tete Morente with a powerful shot from 25 meters.

Los Blancos tried to kill off the match through attacking transitions. In one of them, Vinicius had the chance to wrap things up from inside the area. However, his erratic effort failed to hit the target. José Mourinho made changes, aware that his side were not having a good second half. Brahim and Bellingham came on for Vinicius and Güler.

In the 71st minute, Osorio added some spice to the game. Cepeda, from the right-hand side, delivered a pinpoint cross into the heart of the box for the Argentine striker to rise highest and pull one back for Elche. 1-2. The Martínez Valero erupted, and just ten minutes later, the home side grabbed the equalizer.

In the closing stages, Real Madrid seemed to wake up from the lapse they had been stuck in for most of the second half and, after an attacking transition, Carlos Espí, the golden super-sub, scored the winning goal for Los Blancos. As things stand, Elche remain bottom of the table, while the Madrid side go to sleep joint-top alongside FC Barcelona.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.