Real Madrid Escapes Elche with Late Goal from Espí
Real Madrid flirted with collapse in Elche, then escaped with all three points thanks to a stoppage-time strike from Carlos Espí, crafted by Jude Bellingham’s drive and Kylian Mbappé’s precision.
What had looked like a routine night almost turned into a small crisis. Madrid led 2-0, lost control, were pegged back to 2-2, and only in added time did their new attacking axis bail them out in a 3-2 win that pulled them level on points with Barcelona.
Bellingham lit the fuse for the winner near midfield, gliding past a marker with a long, elegant touch and surging into space. He released Mbappé into the box, and the France star, ice-cold in the chaos, squared for Espí to finish from close range. A simple tap-in at the end of a move that was anything but simple.
Madrid can now reclaim top spot when it hosts promoted Racing Santander on Wednesday. It will arrive relieved more than satisfied.
Mbappé scores again, then limps, then returns
The night had started to follow the script for the champions. In the 25th minute, they were handed the opener when Matías Dituro turned the ball into his own net. Eight minutes later, Mbappé did what Mbappé does.
Yan Diomande slipped him in and the forward, lurking in the area, finished from close range to make it 2-0 in the 33rd minute. Six goals in six league games became seven in six. The league’s top scorer, clear of Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Sergio Camello and Roberto Fernández.
Then came the scare. Moments after scoring, Mbappé stayed down, grimacing and clutching in pain. Medical staff rushed on, the stadium held its breath. After treatment, he got back up and carried on, a huge sigh of relief for Madrid with the season barely underway.
He thought he had another just before halftime, only for the flag to go up for offside and the goal to be ruled out.
Elche roar back
Madrid’s control didn’t last. Elche refused to accept their role as victims and gradually dragged the game into a fight.
In the 71st minute, Abiel Osorio rose to meet a cross and powered in a header to make it 2-1, shifting the mood instantly. Madrid, who had been cruising, suddenly looked vulnerable.
The equalizer felt inevitable once Elche smelled blood. It came in the 83rd minute, Fer Niño finding the net to complete the comeback and send the home crowd into uproar. From 2-0 up to 2-2, Madrid’s only previous league setback this season — the defeat at Real Betis two rounds ago — started to loom large in the memory.
But this time, they found a way out. Deep into stoppage time, Bellingham accelerated, Mbappé picked his pass, and Espí delivered the final touch. A champion’s response, but also a warning about how quickly this Madrid side can lose control of a game.
Valencia steady the ship after upheaval
Elsewhere, Valencia finally found a pulse.
A 1-0 win away at Alaves snapped a four-game losing streak and ended Alaves’ unbeaten start to the season. It came at the end of a turbulent few days in which coach Carlos Corberán and soccer CEO Ron Gourlay were both dismissed.
The club moved quickly. Braulio Vázquez stepped in as the new sporting director and B-team coach Óscar Sánchez took over as interim manager. On the pitch, Luis Rioja delivered the moment that mattered, striking in the 78th minute to secure a badly needed victory for a side that had been outscored 10-1 in its previous matches.
The anger in the stands has not gone away. After the 5-0 home humiliation against Barcelona, Valencia fans had branded the players “mercenaries” and renewed their long-running protests against owner Peter Lim. One win will not silence that, but it at least stops the bleeding.
Rayo’s borrowed home stays kind
Rayo Vallecano, meanwhile, made the most of Butarque one more time.
Playing their third “home” game at Leganes’ stadium because of unsafe conditions at Vallecas, Rayo beat Espanyol 2-1, continuing an unlikely little run at their temporary ground. They had already beaten Racing Santander 3-2 and drawn 1-1 with Alaves there.
This time, Álvaro García and Adria Pedrosa struck in the first half to give Rayo control. Espanyol’s in-form forward Roberto Fernández pulled one back in stoppage time — his sixth goal in six league matches — but it came too late to change the outcome.
If this was indeed Rayo’s final outing at Butarque before returning to Vallecas, they leave with a record that any host would envy. Madrid, for all its star power, left Elche with nothing to spare. The season is young, but the margins at the top are already razor-thin.
