AFP Alvino Hanafi
Sep 16, 2026 05:57+08:00
Mourinho's Madrid meltdown avoided! Late Espi winner saves stumbling giants after horror collapse
Elche vs Real Madrid
Elche Real Madrid
LaLiga
Real Madrid narrowly avoided a disastrous collapse against Elche after securing a dramatic 3-2 victory courtesy of a 91st-minute winner.
Jose Mourinho's side cruised into a two-goal lead in the first half before fading badly after the break.
A tale of two halves at Martinez Valero
Real Madrid scraped past Elche with a 3-2 victory at the Martinez Valero, repeating familiar mistakes by dominating the first half before flirting with disaster after the break.
Under the creative guidance of Arda Guler, Los Blancos went into the interval with a comfortable two-goal cushion.
However, they emerged for the second period lacking ambition, energy, and defensive focus, allowing a spirited Elche side to mount a fierce comeback.
The performance raised fresh concerns over the team's consistency and tendency to slip into a sluggish pace when defending a lead.
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Guler brilliance and missed chances
Arda Guler seized the chance in an advanced midfield role, orchestrating attacking plays and opening the scoring with a brilliant direct free-kick that deflected in off the post and goalkeeper Dituro.
Real Madrid deserved to lead even earlier, but Vinicius Junior squandered three glorious one-on-one chances against Dituro due to a lack of finesse.
Kylian Mbappe added a second before the break, netting his seventh goal of the season from a dangerous cross supplied by Diomande.
Despite dominating the first-half statistics, Los Blancos failed to kill off the game, leaving the door wide open for Elche's resurgence.
Elche fight back to stun Los Blancos
Elche punished Real Madrid's second-half complacency as the visitors retreated into a deep defensive line and lost control of the midfield.
Osorio halved the deficit with a towering header from a perfectly weighted cross by substitute Cepeda.
The disarray in Madrid's ranks worsened when a string of errors culminated in Fer Nino firing a brilliant cross-shot past Thibaut Courtois to make it 2-2.
Jose Mourinho's bench delayed making adjustments until the scores were level, mirroring the worrying patterns seen earlier in the campaign.
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Espi steps up with the late winner
With the score level at 2-2, Mourinho finally threw caution to the wind by introducing extra firepower in the final minutes, bringing on Espi and Endrick.
The tactical gamble paid off in the 91st minute when Jude Bellingham broke down the left and fed Mbappe, who unselfishly squared for Espi to turn home the winner.
While the victory rescued three points, it exposed deep-rooted flaws that must be corrected if Los Blancos are to remain competitive in the title race.