Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Elche: Overlooked Signing Saves Los Blancos From Disaster

Real Madrid barely escaped Elche with three points on Tuesday, needing a 91st minute winner from Carlos Espí to secure a 3–2 victory.

Los Blancos were in cruise control in the first half. Arda Güler sent a sensational free kick at Elche goalkeeper Matías Dituro, who parried the ball into the back of his own net to give the visitors a 1–0 lead in the 25th minute. Just eight minutes later, Kylian Mbappé finished off Yan Diomande’s cross to double the team’s lead.

Everything changed in the second half. José Mourinho’s men got lazy and allowed the hosts to enjoy prolonged spells of possession, inviting them back into the game instead of dealing a fatal blow. Abiel Osorio started the comeback in the 71st minute before Fer Niño bagged an equalizer in the 83rd minute.

Staring down a shocking collapse, Real Madrid turned to Mbappé to make something happen, and the Frenchman did just that. He was off to the races in transition and squared the ball to Espí, who played hero yet again just before the final whistle sounded.

Mourinho won’t be happy with how his men almost coughed up a two-goal lead, especially with a Madrid derby looming.

The One Thing We Can’t Ignore

It’s been a slow burn for Yan Diomande in his early weeks at Real Madrid. José Mourinho mentioned time and time again he would not just throw the 19-year-old into the starting XI; the Portuguese boss instead slowly integrated the record-breaking signing into the mix as the season unfolded.

Diomande was limited to just cameo appearances off the bench before he finally earned his first start at the weekend in the team’s rout over Rayo Vallecano. His performance at the Bernabéu was enough to earn another start just three days later—and this time, he left with an assist.

Securing his first goal contribution at Real Madrid would have been enough to make his outing a success, but it was his entire game that stole the show. Diomande’s pace was on full display in transition as he blitzed by his markers with an effortless ease. He pulled out silky moves and clean touches that promised further invention. He tracked back more than Vinícius Júnior and Mbappé combined.

It was the first real glimpse of what Los Blancos’ attack could look like with Diomande and Alexander-Arnold manning the right flank. There was more width to the attack, and the danger the two provided drew defenders to the right, freeing up space for Güler and Mbappé down the middle.

It remains to be seen whether Diomande will get the nod in the Madrid derby at the weekend, but he looks more than ready for the moment.

Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Elche (4-3-2-1)

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Thibaut Courtois—6.1: Caught wrong-footed on Elche’s goal and rooted to the spot on the second. It’s rare the keeper concedes two goals and only makes one save.

RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold—7.5: Failed to get close enough to or disrupt Lucas Cepeda, who delivered the ball Osorio headed home. A stain on an otherwise solid outing.

CB: Ibrahima Konaté—6.5: Picked up his third yellow card of the season, inching his way toward suspension. Will be relieved he wasn’t at the scene of the crime on Tuesday.

CB: Dean Huijsen—6.9: Stayed glued to Osorio, unafraid to show the more physical side of his game, but was bested when it mattered most.

LB: Marc Cucurella—5.9: Disappointing in the big moments. Didn’t even jump to contend with Osorio before the striker got Elche back in the game. Then, was beaten on the left in the build-up to the hosts’ second.

DM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—7.6: A tale of two halves. Defended well and created two chances with his precise passing in the first half and then failed to impose himself in the second half. Did not stabilize the team when he needed to.

DM: Federico Valverde—7.4: Unleashed Diomande down the right with an inch-perfect through ball in the build-up to the team’s second goal. Struggled to gain any control on the game when things weren’t going in Real Madrid’s favor. Chasing after players on Elche’s equalizer.

RW: Yan Diomande—8.5: Tallied his first goal contribution in a white shirt with a tantalizing cross that Mbappé powered home. Gave some much-needed width to the team’s attack and put on a dribbling clinic.

AM: Arda Güler—7.6: Buried a sensational free kick to get Real Madrid on the scoresheet. Pulls the strings with an effortless swagger and quality that would make him a permanent starter at practically any other club in the world.

LW: Vinícius Júnior—6.9: Gave a half-hearted effort. Wasted a flurry of chances in the early stages and didn’t even pretend to track back or press. Deservedly replaced in the 68th minute.

ST: Kylian Mbappé—8.7: Couldn’t celebrate his eighth goal of the season because he appeared to suffer a thigh injury in the process. Soon recovered and saw his second of the night denied by the offside flag. Still got his moment in the dying stages when he set up Espí.

SUB: Jude Bellingham (68’ for Güler)—6.6: Comes alive under the bright lights. Made a mockery of his defender before playing a ball in behind the defense to find Mbappé in the build-up to the team’s winner.

SUB: Brahim Díaz (68’ for Vinícius Jr)—6.5: Didn’t have many opportunities to make an impact.

SUB: Endrick (86’ for Tchouaméni)—N/A

SUB: Carlos Espí (86’ for Alexander-Arnold)—N/A

SUB: Denzel Dumfries (92’ for Diomande)—N/A

Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Álvaro Carreras, Antonio Rüdiger, Raúl Asencio, Bernardo Silva, Eduardo Camavinga, Thiago Pitarch.

What the Ratings Tell Us

Kylian Mbappé, Arda Güler — Kylian Mbappé (left) and Arda Güler were sensational. | Dennis Agyeman/Europa Press/Getty Images

It was the first time Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni started in midfield this season, and all the team’s old problems came back to the surface. The two are a serviceable duo when Real Madrid are controlling the game, but they struggle to gain any semblance of stability when the pitch is tilting in favor of the opposition. It’s hard to have faith in the double pivot.
Kylian Mbappé came under fire for missing too many big chances in the team’s opening matches. The superstar forward has since responded with an exclamation point, scoring four goals in three matches. As if that wasn’t enough to silence his critics, he made the unselfish play in stoppage time to set up Espí and claim all three points.
Arda Güler only played 18 minutes in Real Madrid’s last two matches before Mourinho inserted him back into the XI on Tuesday. The Turkish midfielder got to play in his favored No. 10 role and looked right at home. From his free kick to his playmaking, it’s becoming harder and harder to keep Güler out of the lineup.

The Numbers That Explain Real Madrid’s Frantic Win

Real Madrid shockingly allowed Elche to have 56% posession. The visitors completely gave up trying to control the game once they had a two-goal lead and nearly paid the price.
Elche created just one big chance and had an xG of 0.85, yet they walked away with two goals because of Los Blancos’ lazy defending.
Mourinho’s men took a staggering 20 shots and yet only four were on target. Some shooting practice appears to be in order ... again.

Statistic	Elche	Real Madrid
Posession	56%	44%
Expected Goals (xG)	0.85	3.56
Total Shots	11	20
Shots on Target	3	4
Big Chances	1	5
Pass Accuracy	91%	89%
Fouls	21	8
Corners	2	5

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