Real Madrid beat Elche 3:2 at the Estadio Martínez Valero in La Liga's sixth round on 15 September 2026. The visitors held every card in their hands by the final whistle, though the result came with a late twist that kept the stadium on edge until the last second.
Elche opened the scoring themselves through an own goal by Matías Dituro in the 25th minute, a moment that felt like a gift. Kylian Mbappé pulled Real Madrid level just eight minutes later, firing home after a quiet spell of play. The home side then found a way through when Abiel Alessio Osorio struck in the 71st minute, and Fernando Niño Rodríguez doubled their advantage in the 83rd minute.
And here's the thing — Elche could have held the tie in their own hands for most of the evening. But Carlos Espí's goal in the 91st minute changed everything, sending the match to penalties or, as the data shows, a 3:2 victory for the visitors.
The statistics tell a story of efficiency over control. Elche dominated possession at 56 per cent but created just one big chance from 3.61 expected goals for Real Madrid. Four shots on target against three tells you everything about who took their opportunities. The visitors also registered 17 key passes compared to 10, and their 23 dribbles versus 11 showed a willingness to go forward.
Elche sit bottom of the table with two points from six games, while Real Madrid move closer to the top with 15 points and only one defeat. The win extended their unbeaten run to eight across all competitions, though this particular fixture had more drama than the numbers suggest.
