At the Martínez Valero, where Elche pushed Real Madrid to the final seconds of a wild 3-2 defeat, the match has continued beyond the pitch through the club’s social-media account. Posts featuring Kylian Mbappé have brought scrutiny on Elche’s community manager after supporters identified him online as a Barcelona fan.
A difficult afternoon spills into the digital space
Elche published two images of Mbappé confronting one of their players, accompanied by the word “fairplay”. The posts quickly attracted replies from Madrid supporters, while an X account circulated what it said was the profile of the staff member responsible for Elche’s digital communications.
Images on that profile showed Barcelona shirts and other club-related clothing, prompting criticism from users who argued that Elche’s messaging had lacked neutrality towards Madrid and their French forward. Some accounts tagged Elche directly in their complaints.
The controversy centred on the photographic sequence involving Mbappé. Critics of Elche’s posts maintained that the Madrid player had first been struck by an opponent’s hand before he moved towards the confrontation, and accused the club account of presenting the incident unfairly. Elche had not issued a public response.
Madrid survive Elche’s late revival
The argument came after one of the early season’s more dramatic LaLiga evenings. Real Madrid had appeared to establish control before the interval, with Mbappé scoring and Elche goalkeeper Matías Dituro registering an own goal.
Yet the hosts made the second half their own. Abiel Osorio reduced the gap in the 71st minute, and Fer Niño levelled in the 83rd, turning the stadium in the Alicante city into a place of genuine belief.
Madrid eventually escaped in added time. Espí, a recent arrival for the visitors, scored at 90+1 to settle the contest 3-2. The late goal took Real Madrid closer to Barcelona in the race at the top of the table, but it also left Elche’s online team facing a different kind of pressure after an already heated afternoon.
SEO Title: Elche social-media dispute follows dramatic Real Madrid victory
SEO Description: Elche’s posts about Kylian Mbappé drew criticism after Real Madrid’s 3-2 win at the Martínez Valero, sealed by Espí in added time.
