Real Madrid's Dramatic Win Against Elche with Espí's Late Goal

Real Madrid thought the night in Elche would be routine. Two goals up before the break, Kylian Mbappé on the scoresheet again, the champions cruising.

Then it turned into a scrap.

Substitute Carlos Espí finally dragged Madrid over the line with a stoppage-time winner in a frantic 3-2 victory on Tuesday, finishing off a move sparked by Jude Bellingham’s brilliance and Mbappé’s sharpness in the box.

With the score locked at 2-2 and nerves fraying, Bellingham took charge near midfield. One long, decisive touch took him past his marker and into open grass. He drove forward, slipped Mbappé through on the break, and the France star needed only a heartbeat to square for Espí, who tucked in from close range. A rescue act, but also a reminder of Madrid’s firepower when the game becomes chaotic.

The win pulls Madrid level on points with Barcelona at the top of La Liga. The defending champions can move clear again when they host Racing Santander on Wednesday.

Early control, late chaos

Madrid had built what looked like a comfortable lead before Elche roared back.

In the 25th minute, the visitors went ahead when a cross caused confusion and Matías Dituro turned the ball into his own net. Eight minutes later, Mbappé did what Mbappé does. Yan Diomande picked him out in the area and the forward finished from close range to make it 2-0, his seventh league goal of the season.

For a moment, the goal came with a scare. Mbappé stayed down in clear pain, drawing worried looks from the Madrid bench. After treatment from the club’s medical staff, he got back to his feet and continued, easing some of the tension around the team.

He nearly had another just before halftime, only for an offside flag to cut short the celebrations. It didn’t count, but it underlined how relentlessly he is attacking La Liga. His seven goals in six league matches now put him one clear of Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Sergio Camello and Roberto Fernández in the scoring chart. He arrived on the back of a brace in the 4-1 win over Rayo Vallecano in the previous round and has not slowed down.

But Madrid did.

Elche, second-best for an hour, refused to fold. Abiel Osorio dragged them back into the contest in the 71st minute with a well-taken header that ignited the home crowd. Suddenly Madrid, whose only league setback this season came away to Real Betis two rounds ago, looked vulnerable.

The pressure told again in the 83rd minute. Fer Niño struck the equalizer, and a match that had seemed done and dusted was now teetering away from the champions. Madrid’s control had vanished; their response would define the night.

It came in stoppage time, with Bellingham and Mbappé slicing Elche open and Espí applying the final touch. Three points, but earned the hard way.

Valencia respond after upheaval

Elsewhere, Valencia finally found a response to their own crisis.

A 1-0 win at Alaves snapped a four-game losing streak and ended the hosts’ unbeaten start to the season. The result arrived after a brutal weekend shake-up at the club, with coach Carlos Corberán and soccer CEO Ron Gourlay both dismissed amid mounting pressure.

Valencia moved quickly behind the scenes. Braulio Vázquez came in as sporting director, while B-team coach Óscar Sánchez stepped up as interim manager. On the pitch, the team carried the weight of recent humiliation — they had been outscored 10-1 over their losing run, including a 5-0 home thrashing by Barcelona that left fans furious.

Supporters had turned on the squad, branding players “mercenaries” and renewing their long-running protests against owner Peter Lim. The mood was poisonous.

Luis Rioja cut through some of that anger with a decisive strike in the 78th minute, giving Valencia a much-needed win and a sliver of calm after weeks of turmoil. It does not erase the tension around the club, but it changes the conversation, at least for a few days.

Rayo make Butarque a fortress

Rayo Vallecano, meanwhile, have quietly turned a borrowed home into a stronghold.

Their 2-1 victory over Espanyol at Butarque Stadium — with first-half goals from Álvaro García and Adria Pedrosa — may be their last “home” outing away from Vallecas, but they have made it count. Forced out of Vallecas Stadium because of unsafe conditions, Rayo have played three home fixtures at Butarque, the ground of second-tier Leganes.

The record: two wins and a draw. They beat Racing Santander 3-2, drew 1-1 with Alaves, and now edged Espanyol.

Espanyol’s in-form forward Roberto Fernández struck in stoppage time for his sixth goal in six matches, but it came too late to deny Rayo. The goal kept his hot streak alive, yet the points stayed with the nominal hosts.

Rayo can now look toward a return to Vallecas with momentum. Madrid, for all their drama in Elche, stay right in the title fight. Valencia breathe again, if only just.

La Liga’s early weeks are already leaving marks. The question now is who turns these wild nights into a season-defining run.