Carlos Espí's Late Winner Secures Victory for Madrid Against Elche
Real Madrid walked out of Elche with three points, but only after a wild finish that turned a routine night into a rescue mission.
A stoppage-time winner from Carlos Espí, crafted by Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé, sealed a 3-2 victory on Tuesday and dragged Madrid level on points with Barcelona in La Liga. The defending champion now has the chance to move back clear when it hosts promoted Racing Santander on Wednesday.
The late goal was pure Madrid – and pure chaos. Bellingham, near midfield, took a long, elegant touch to glide past his marker and burst into space. He slid a pass into Mbappé on the break, the France star driving into the box before squaring for Espí, who arrived in front of goal to turn in from close range. Elche’s comeback was ripped up in an instant.
For an hour, Madrid had looked in cruise control.
They went ahead in the 25th minute when Matías Dituro put through his own net, handing the visitors the lead. Eight minutes later, Mbappé doubled it, finishing from close range after Yan Diomande picked him out. At 2-0, with Madrid humming and Mbappé purring, it felt like the contest might be over before the final whistle had any work to do.
Elche refused to fold.
Abiel Osorio dragged the hosts back into it with a header in the 71st minute, igniting the stadium and unsettling a Madrid side that had been strolling. The pressure grew, the tackles sharpened, and the equaliser arrived in the 83rd minute when Fer Niño struck to make it 2-2. Suddenly, Madrid were staring at another stumble in a season that has barely offered one.
They found a way out in added time.
Mbappé had already ridden a scare of his own. Shortly after scoring in the first half, he stayed on the turf in clear pain, calling for the medical team. Madrid’s doctors treated him, and he eventually got back to his feet and returned to the pitch, to the relief of the visiting bench.
By the end, his numbers told their own story. The goal at Elche took him to seven in six league matches, one ahead of Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Sergio Camello and Roberto Fernández in the scoring charts. He had gone into the game fresh from a brace in Madrid’s 4-1 win over Rayo Vallecano in the previous round and even had another strike ruled out for offside just before halftime on Tuesday.
Madrid’s only league blemish so far remains the defeat at Real Betis two rounds ago. This, though, came close.
Valencia stop the rot after sweeping changes
In Vitoria, Valencia’s reset finally brought a result.
A 1-0 win at Alaves ended a four-game losing streak and halted the hosts’ unbeaten start to the season, offering a sliver of calm after a turbulent weekend at the club.
The slump had already claimed coach Carlos Corberán and soccer CEO Ron Gourlay, both dismissed as Valencia tried to arrest the slide. Braulio Vázquez arrived as the new sporting director, while B-team coach Óscar Sánchez stepped up as interim manager.
On the pitch, Luis Rioja delivered. His 78th-minute winner gave Valencia just their second goal in five games, after being outscored 10-1 during that miserable run.
The tension around the club has been simmering for much longer. Fans, furious after the 5-0 home humiliation against Barcelona, had turned on the squad, branding players “mercenaries” and again directing anger at owner Peter Lim, whose exit they have demanded for years. The win at Alaves will not silence that movement, but it at least gives Sánchez and Vázquez something firmer to stand on.
Rayo Vallecano sign off from Butarque with another win
Rayo Vallecano’s temporary exile from Vallecas Stadium may be over, and they are leaving Butarque with a record they will happily keep.
They beat Espanyol 2-1, powered by first-half goals from Álvaro García and Adria Pedrosa, to make it another profitable “home” outing at Leganes’ ground. It was Rayo’s third home fixture staged at Butarque because of unsafe conditions at Vallecas, and they have made it count: a 3-2 win over Racing Santander, a 1-1 draw with Alaves, and now this victory against Espanyol.
Espanyol at least had Roberto Fernández to celebrate. He scored in stoppage time, his sixth goal in six matches, continuing a prolific start to the campaign even as his team left empty-handed.
Madrid clinging on late, Valencia trying to steady a shaken project, Rayo thriving away from home that isn’t really home – early in the season, the table is taking shape, but the stories underneath it are only just getting started.
