Real Madrid defeated Elche thanks to a brace from Vincius Jr., ending their opponents’ six-game unbeaten streak at home and moving to the top of the La Liga table.
Looking to bounce back from a disappointing 0-0 draw with Osasuna the previous week, Real Madrid faced Elche, who had not won against ‘Los Blancos’ since March 1978.
Despite the disparity in class, Elche came closest to scoring in the first 20 minutes, with Lucas Boyé driving an angled effort towards Thibaut Courtois’ palms, who turned it away.
It was a risk they should have taken, as Real Madrid took the lead not long after through man of the moment Vincius Jr., who received the ball in behind from Mariano Daz’s expert pass before driving his effort into the bottom corner with 22 minutes remaining.
Just minutes later, Mariano Daz rounded Kiko Casilla at a tight angle, but only found the side netting, leaving the sides separated by one goal at the break.
The hosts had a golden opportunity to equalize early in the second half, but Ral Guti squandered his volley from a corner, firing into Courtois’ arms.
It turned out to be a couple of minutes to forget for the midfielder, as a reckless challenge seconds later resulted in a second yellow card and his dismissal.
Real Madrid were able to capitalize and find the second goal, once again through Vincius, whose delicate chip over Kiko Casilla from close range sealed all three points.
The hosts cut the deficit in half thanks to substitute Pere Milla, who took advantage of a defensive blunder before finishing superbly, but it was only a consolation as Real Madrid moved to the top of La Liga, leaving Elche just two points away from relegation.
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