Real Madrid survived a huge scare at Elche on Tuesday night, throwing away a two-goal advantage before Carlos Espi came off the bench to score a dramatic stoppage-time winner in a thrilling 3-2 LaLiga victory.
Madrid looked firmly in control after racing into a 2-0 lead inside the opening 33 minutes. An own goal from Elche goalkeeper Matias Dituro put the visitors ahead before Kylian Mbappe doubled their advantage with a composed finish.
But what appeared to be a comfortable night for Jose Mourinho’s side quickly turned into a tense battle after the break.
Real had created several chances early on, although some wasteful play in the final third prevented them from extending their lead. Arda Guler came closest to adding another when his dangerous free-kick in the 25th minute struck the woodwork before rebounding into the net off Dituro.
Elche enjoyed spells of possession but struggled to contain Madrid’s attacking threat. Yan Diomande then produced his first assist for the club, sending a well-placed cross into the box for Mbappe, who made no mistake to make it 2-0.
Madrid went into half-time looking comfortable, but the second half was a completely different story.
Elche began to grow into the game and eventually found a way back when Abiel Osorio rose highest to head Lucas Cepeda’s cross beyond the goalkeeper in the 71st minute.
The goal transformed the atmosphere and gave the home side belief that a comeback was possible.
Madrid struggled to rediscover the intensity and control they had shown before the interval. Their problems were exposed again seven minutes from full-time when Fer Nino capitalised on a mistake to fire Elche level at 2-2.
With Real suddenly under pressure, Mourinho’s side needed a response—and it arrived just in time.
Mbappe broke behind the Elche defence in the 91st minute before squaring the ball across the box. Espi was in the right place at the right time, tapping into an empty net to restore Madrid’s lead and complete a dramatic victory.
It was another decisive contribution from the 21-year-old substitute, who has now scored a late winner twice in his six league appearances this season.
Despite the victory, Mourinho was far from satisfied with the way his team surrendered control after half-time, particularly with a derby against Atletico Madrid coming up on Sunday.
“It’s not about goals, it’s about giving up control of the games,” Mourinho said.
“They can score out of context, but when they did score, we had given up control of the game.”
The victory moved Real Madrid level with Barcelona at the top of LaLiga on 15 points, although Barcelona have a game in hand. Elche, meanwhile, remain without a league victory and sit bottom of the table with just two points.
Elsewhere in LaLiga, Rayo Vallecano held on for a 2-1 victory away to Espanyol, while Luis Rioja scored against his former club Alaves to give Valencia a 1-0 win in Oscar Sanchez’s first match as interim manager.
