Carlos Espi scores late winner for Real Madrid against Elche

With Barcelona racking up seven-goal thrillers, Real Madrid could not afford a collapse. Enter the forward quietly turning into José Mourinho’s ultimate secret weapon José Mourinho called and Carlos Espí came to his side. It was late, it was noisy and it was almost over – the match and maybe even something more – when Real Madrid’s coach took the forward who is also his flatmate to one side on Tuesday night. Standing close, Mourinho had a message to deliver; he also had a piece of paper. Small, folded, half-hidden in his hand, it was not big enough for much more than a single word, shown almost surreptitiously, the request written on it, like what he had whispered in Espí’s ear, left to your imagination. Put ball in goal, perhaps. Or: Help. So he did. Madrid needed him to, which they should not have. Two goals up inside half an hour at Elche on Tuesday night, they could have added a third or a fourth, maybe even a fifth, before half-time. But, thinking it was as done as it really should have been, their minds perhaps on Sunday’s derby at Atlético too, they had stopped again, drifting. Vinícius Júnior had gone, Arda Guler had gone, Aurélien Tchouaméni might as well have done, barely able to move any more, and now, somehow, the game was going. Goals from Abiel Osorio in the 71st minute and Fer Niño in the 83rd had made it 2-2. Continue reading...

Carlos Espi is becoming Real Madrid’s unlikely late-game specialist.The 21-year-old once again came off the bench to rescue Jose Mourinho’s side, this time scoring the 91st-minute winner in a dram...

Real Madrid found another way to win, but Jose Mourinho was hardly celebrating the manner of it.Carlos Espi’s injury-time strike completed a 3-2 comeback against Elche, rescuing Madrid after they ha...

Carlos Espi fired a stoppage-time winner as Real Madrid won 3-2 at Elche after letting slip a two-goal lead to climb level on points with Barcelona at the top of LaLiga. Espi, a summer signing from Levante, stepped off the bench to rescue Real for the second time this season having struck a last-minute winner on his debut at Espanyol on the opening day.

Carlos Espí scored in stoppage time after a nifty move by Jude Bellingham and an assist by Kylian Mbappé to help Real Madrid salvage a 3-2 win at Elche in the Spanish league after it relinquished a two-goal lead on Tuesday. Bellingham used a neat long touch to get past an opponent near midfield and fed Mbappé in a breakaway into the area, and the France star quickly set up Espí's close-range score to give Madrid the victory and move the Spanish powerhouse even on points with Barcelona.

Carlos Espi snatched Real Madrid a last-gasp 3-2 win at Elche on Tuesday to pull them level with Barcelona at the top of La Liga.Madrid have five wins from six matches, level on points with champions Barca, who host Racing Santander on Wednesday.

Carlos Espí produced the late heroics

Carlos Espí produced the late heroics