Argentine coach Martín Anselmi, former Cruz Azul, ended the match with a difficult feeling to assimilate. The Elche removed a disadvantage of two goals against Real Madrid, equalized the scoring and came to the final section with the possibility of staying with a point, but a goal by Carlos Espí in the discount decided the match and gave the Madrid team a victory by 2-3.
The outcome punished the Illicit team after a second half in which it managed to completely change the development of the game. After marching to the 0-2 break down, the local team found the spaces and tools to bring Real Madrid against their own area.
Anselmi acknowledged after the meeting that his team must learn to handle this type of situation better. "To know how to close this type of matches," was the idea that the Argentine technician highlighted when analyzing a defeat that came after having equaled two goals.
“The word pride comes out to me more than anything else,” he said in the press conference afterwards. The coach also lamented that his players did not understand “what we had achieved” after a rebound that had changed the scene of the match.
The approach of the Elche was marked from the beginning by the intention to maintain its offensive and associative proposal. That bet, however, was accompanied by mistakes at the exit that could cost him expensive during the first minutes.
Mbappé and Vinícius found opportunities from those inaccuracies. Real Madrid, led by José Mourinho, waited back and took advantage of the losses to look for spaces for the counterattack. Vinícius even had a clear occasion after another recovery in compromised zone, although his shot ended off.
The first goal came through a stalled ball action. Güler executed a missing shot that ended in the goal with the help of the poste and Dituro, who could have intervened better in the shooting of the Turkish footballer.
ARDA GÜLER FREE KICK GOLAZO ? pic.twitter.com/KOnrKbOZDc
He changed the rhythm. The Madrid started circulating the ball with greater speed and found spaces behind the Elche midfielder. In one of those actions appeared Mbappé, who received an assistance from Diomande and became the second.
Vinícius and Mbappé had new opportunities before the rest, while the Elche tried to stay in the match. Osorio and Tete Morente had options to approach the locals, but Courtois avoided the goal.
Konaté had to intervene under the sticks to avoid an Osorio finish and the entry of Lemar and Cepeda allowed the Elche to gain precision and offensive capability.
The local set finally found the discount with Osorio, who headed a center of Cepeda. Madrid responded with Brahim and Bellingham and tried to regain control through possession, but the Elche had already taken momentum.
Fer Niño received in the area and, with a shot in the half-turn, surprised Courtois to set the 2-2.
ELCHE FIGHT FROM 2-0 DOWN TO SHOCK REAL MADRID AND TIE THE GAME! ? pic.twitter.com/XmtqMQnKLa
The Madrid reacted in the last minutes with Espí and Endrick, while the Elche ended down.The team of Anselmi had the draw to reach, but did not manage the remaining time.
“We have missed being together in the final section.I stay with the word maturity because we have matured as a team from San Mamés,” said Anselmi.
The coach also highlighted the way his players competed against a rival with a lot of hierarchy. “The Elche has shown that they can compete. There was a lot of hierarchy in front of me, but I’m proud to go back and always look at the rival arc. We end up with the rival holding the ball in the corner,” he explained.
JUDE BELLINGHAM TO MBAPPE TO CARLOS ESPI TO WIN IT!A game-winning goal started off with insane skill from Jude ? pic.twitter.com/RRvvjek4Ba
In the discount, Real Madrid found the definitive space for the left side. Mbappé attended Espí, who scored the 2-3 and left the Elche without the point he had achieved after removing the disadvantage.
Anselmi considered that the details are not favouring his team and argued that the last place in the table “is not the place it deserves” the Elche, which he misses more and more in the competition.
