Real Madrid secured a dramatic victory at the Martínez Valero, defeating Elche 3-2 on matchday six of La Liga through golden substitute Carlos Espi, who netted the decisive goal in stoppage time.
José Mourinho’s side appeared bound for a comfortable victory after establishing a two-goal lead in the first half; however, a drop in performance and conceding possession allowed Elche back into the match before Espi delivered in the moment Real Madrid required him most.
The Los Blancos opened the scoring from an Arda Güler free-kick that struck the post, bounced off goalkeeper Matías Dituro, and crossed the line, before Kylian Mbappé doubled the lead following an assist from Yan Diomande, while a second strike from the French forward was disallowed for offside.
The momentum shifted in the second half as Real Madrid dropped deep to manage their lead. Abiel Osorio reduced the deficit with a header from an Alejandro Cepeda cross, and Fer Niño equalized for Elche in the closing minutes amidst defensive confusion from the visitors.
With the match nearing its conclusion, Mourinho introduced Carlos Espi, and the young striker rewarded his manager by scoring the winning goal in stoppage time, securing three points for Real Madrid that seemed destined to slip away following Elche’s comeback.
This was not the first instance of Espi acting as the savior, having previously scored a 90th-minute winner against Espanyol during his official debut for Real Madrid to secure a 2-1 outcome. The arrival from Levante now has two La Liga goals, both coming from the bench to seal away victories outside the Santiago Bernabéu.
The match also saw Real Madrid’s frustration with woodwork continue, bringing their total to nine shots striking the post or crossbar in La Liga this season—more than double any other side in the competition, with Barcelona trailing behind at four, according to Opta statistics.
With this result, Real Madrid elevated their tally to 15 points from six matches to hold second place behind Barcelona, while Elche remain in 19th place with two points and no wins.
Real Madrid will feature in one final fixture prior to the international break when they visit Atlético Madrid in the derby on Sunday, September 20, before returning to face Villarreal at the Bernabéu over the October 10-11 weekend.
