Carlos Espí Seals Late Win for Madrid Against Elche

Real Madrid flirted with a collapse, then found a moment of brilliance.

Deep into stoppage time in Elche, with a two-goal lead squandered and the game slipping away, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé ripped the script apart. One long stride, one burst of pace, one cool cutback – and Carlos Espí was there to finish the job and seal a chaotic 3-2 win in La Liga on Tuesday.

It was a goal born from nerve and quality. Bellingham, stationed near midfield, stretched out a deft long touch to glide past his marker and drive into space. He released Mbappé into the box, the France star drawing defenders and then rolling the ball across for Espí to sweep in from close range. A knife-edge evening suddenly belonged to Madrid again.

The late winner pulled the Spanish giants level on points with Barcelona. The defending champions now have the chance to move back in front when they host promoted Racing Santander on Wednesday.

Madrid had seemed in complete control long before the drama. On 25 minutes, an own-goal by Matías Dituro handed them the lead, the Elche goalkeeper the unfortunate name on a move that tilted the match Madrid’s way. Eight minutes later, Mbappé did what Mbappé does.

Yan Diomande slipped him in and the forward finished from close range, his latest ruthless touch in a white shirt. At 2-0, Madrid looked ready to stroll through the night.

Then the mood changed.

Abiel Osorio dragged Elche back into it with a header in the 71st minute, igniting the crowd and unsettling Madrid’s back line. Twelve minutes later, Fer Niño struck the equalizer in the 83rd, and suddenly a routine away win had turned into a full-blown crisis.

Madrid wobbled. Elche pushed. The clock bled away.

Just when it felt like two points were gone, Bellingham surged, Mbappé squared, Espí scored. The pressure finally told, but not in the way Elche had imagined.

There had been a sharp intake of breath from Madrid earlier in the night. Right after his first-half goal, Mbappé went down in clear pain and stayed on the turf, surrounded by concern and cameras. Club doctors came on, assessed him, and after a tense pause he got back to his feet and returned to play.

He carried on tormenting Elche. He even had another goal, this time ruled out for offside just before halftime. Still, his tally keeps climbing: seven goals in six league matches now, one more than Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Sergio Camello and Roberto Fernández. He arrived with expectations sky-high. His numbers are keeping pace.

Mbappé had already hit a brace in Madrid’s 4-1 win over Rayo Vallecano in the previous round. The only blemish on their league record so far remains the defeat at Real Betis two matchdays ago. This, though, was as close as they’ve come to dropping points again.

Valencia breathe again after brutal week

Elsewhere, Valencia finally found a release valve.

A 1-0 win at Alaves stopped a four-game losing streak and ended the hosts’ unbeaten start to the season. For a club in turmoil, it felt like oxygen.

The slide had already cost people their jobs. Coach Carlos Corberán and soccer CEO Ron Gourlay were both dismissed over the weekend after a run in which Valencia had been outscored 10-1 and humiliated 5-0 at home by Barcelona. The board moved quickly, appointing Braulio Vázquez as sporting director and handing B-team coach Óscar Sánchez the interim reins.

Under that new, makeshift structure, Valencia scraped the kind of win they desperately needed. Luis Rioja struck in the 78th minute, a rare high point in a season that has been dominated by anger and protest.

The fans have not been shy. They recently branded the players “mercenaries” and have long demanded the exit of owner Peter Lim. One result will not silence that fury. It might, however, buy the team a little space to breathe.

Rayo make Butarque a second home

Rayo Vallecano, meanwhile, keep making themselves comfortable away from home – at what is technically their “home.”

They beat Espanyol 2-1 at Butarque Stadium, with first-half goals from Álvaro García and Adria Pedrosa doing the damage. It may have been their last match there before finally returning to Vallecas Stadium.

Butarque, the home of second-tier Leganes, has hosted Rayo’s first three home league games because of unsafe conditions at Vallecas. Rayo have made it count: a 3-2 win over Racing Santander, a 1-1 draw with Alaves, and now victory against Espanyol.

Roberto Fernández scored in stoppage time for Espanyol, his sixth goal in six matches, but it came too late to change the result.

Madrid escape, Valencia reset, Rayo pack up their temporary home. As the league table tightens and storylines twist, the question now is simple: who can turn nights like these into a season-long habit?