In a thrilling La Liga encounter on Tuesday, Real Madrid edged past Elche with a last-minute goal, securing a 3-2 victory that brought them level with Barcelona at the top of the league standings. Substitute Carlos Espi became the hero of the night by scoring the decisive goal in the 91st minute, shortly after Elche had drawn level.
Madrid initially seemed to dominate the game as they established a two-goal lead. Arda Guler set the tone with a free-kick that ricocheted off the post and inadvertently went in off Elche’s goalkeeper, Matias Dituro. Kylian Mbappe then doubled the lead, capitalizing on a cross from Yan Diomande.
However, Elche made a spirited comeback in the second half. Abiel Osorio breathed life into the match by heading in a goal from Lucas Cepeda’s cross. The equalizer came from Nino in the 83rd minute, putting the pressure back on Real Madrid to respond.
Manager Jose Mourinho’s strategic substitutions paid off as he introduced Carlos Espi and Endrick in a bid to regain the lead. Espi, who had already demonstrated his knack for scoring crucial goals earlier in the season, delivered once again. Found by Mbappe at the back post, the young forward secured the win for Madrid, maintaining their strong start to the season with five wins from six matches.
The victory places Madrid level on points with defending champions Barcelona, who are set to play Racing Santander on Wednesday. Meanwhile, other matches in the league saw Valencia achieve their first win of the season against Alaves, and Rayo Vallecano triumph over Espanyol with a 2-1 scoreline.