Espi's late winner gives Real Madrid 3-2 win over Elche

La Liga: Espi's late winner helps Real Madrid edge past Elche 3-2

Elche, September 16

However, despite the win, which helped them tie with Barcelona (15 points) and consolidate their spot in second place in the table, the Jose Mourinho-managed side continues to face issues regarding defence and keeping their lead.

The match saw Vinicius Jr squander three one-on-one chances against Dituro, before the latter handed Real Madrid with a gift in a form of an own goal in the 25th minute. Eight minutes later, Kylian Mbappe netted his seventh goal of the season, courtesy of a cross by Yan Diamonde.

At the half-time, the scoreline was 2-0 in favour of the Spanish giants. However, they got a little complacent and dipped in form during the second half, marked by poor defence and loss of control in the midfield. Osorio halved the deficit with a header in the 71st minute, while Nino added the equaliser with seven minutes to go.

With the scores level, Mourinho introduced Espi and Endrick and the move paid off in the 91st minute, when Jude Bellingham fed Mbappe, who squared for Espi to deliver the winner.

Speaking after the match, Mourinho said, as quoted by Real Madrid's official website, "The problem seems obvious to me. It is harder to know why, but it is easy to understand that there are matches that seem over and, in the end, are not. Matches where we have three, four, five chances to finish them and do not. After failing to do so, it feels like we go from ease, because it seemed easy, to losing control. It is like we fall into a dynamic of 'okay, we did not score, we did not finish with a three or four-nil, but it is over.' It feels like when everything seems easy, and you let things slide."

"This kind of Spanish stadium, full and with fantastic supporters, in a game against Real Madrid, they (Elche) fight until the last moment. A goal and the match is wide open. The good thing is that, in the face of difficulty and the pressure of dropping points, the team reacts and wins, which is ultimately the most important thing. Another good thing is that in Real Madrid matches, no one gets bored because they are very entertaining," he signed off.

— ANI