In Elche, where a raucous second-half comeback had turned the night on its head, Real Madrid found one final route to victory. Carlos Espí, introduced late from the bench, finished Kylian Mbappé’s stoppage-time work to seal a 3-2 away win and deny Martín Anselmi’s side the point their recovery appeared to have earned.
Espí strikes late as Real Madrid survive Elche revival
SEO Title: Carlos Espí’s Late Goal Gives Real Madrid 3-2 Win at Elche
SEO Description: Carlos Espí scored in stoppage time after Kylian Mbappé’s individual run as Real Madrid beat Elche 3-2, despite the hosts overturning a two-goal deficit.
Madrid had looked settled after taking control before the interval. Their pressure produced the opening goal in the 25th minute, when Arda Güler’s free-kick ended in the net, with the goal appearing to be recorded as an own goal by Elche goalkeeper Matías Dituro.
The visitors extended the margin eight minutes later. Yan Diomande supplied Mbappé, who made it 2-0 and seemed to place José Mourinho’s team on course for an uncomplicated evening on the Mediterranean coast.
Elche, however, emerged after the break with far greater authority. After sustained home pressure, Abiel Osorio headed beyond Thibaut Courtois in the 71st minute to give the hosts a way back into the contest. The stadium’s belief grew further in the 83rd minute, when Fer Niño completed the comeback and levelled the score at 2-2.
Madrid had become almost unrecognisable from the composed side of the first half, while Elche’s green-and-white side had shown the competitive edge that can serve them well across the LaLiga season. Yet the home side could not protect the draw for the closing minutes.
Espí entered in the 87th minute and needed only four minutes to make the decisive intervention. In the first minute of added time, Mbappé carried the ball through the Elche defence before setting up the forward from Tavernes for a simple finish into the net. The goal restored Madrid’s lead at 3-2 and ended Elche’s hopes of taking something from the match.
Matchday 7 follows during the weekend of 18 to 20 September. Elche open the next round on Friday against Espanyol, while Real Madrid travel into Sunday’s major fixture against Atlético de Madrid.
