Real Madrid 2-2 Elche: LaLiga leaders fight back to rescue a point

Real Madrid 2-2 Elche: Eder Militao nets last-gasp equaliser after Luka Modric scored 82nd minute penalty as LaLiga leaders fight back to rescue a point against lowly visitors

  • Eder Militao struck a dramatic equaliser as Real Madrid salvaged a draw
  • Luka Modric had given the home side a lifeline by scoring from the spot
  • Barcelona target Lucas Boye and Pere Milla put the visitors 2-0 up on Sunday
  • Karim Benzema missed his first ever penalty for Real Madrid in the first-half 

A 92nd minute equaliser from Eder Militao salvaged a point for Real Madrid against Elche.

A tired Madrid side went 2-0 down at home with former Reading striker Lucas Boye scoring one and assisting one. 

But after Luca Modric scored a penalty, Militao rose to head a towering header from Vinicius’ cross past Edgar Badia to earn Madrid a point.

Eder Militao struck a dramatic equaliser as Real Madrid salvaged a draw against Elche

Luka Modric had given the home side a lifeline by scoring from the spot in the 82nd minute

Real Madrid (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Lucas Vazquez, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Ferland Mendy; Luka Modric, Casemiro, Toni Kroos; Eden Hazard, Karim Benzema, Vinicius Junior.

Goals: Modric 82, Eder Militao 92

Elche (4-4-2): Edgar Badia; Helibelton Palacios, Gonzalo Verdu, Diego Gonzalez, Johan Mojica; Tete Morente, Raul Guti, Gerard Gumbau, Pere Milla; Lucas Perez, Lucas Boye. 

Goals: Lucas Boye 42, Pere Milla 76

Madrid had dominated the first half with 13 shots to Elche’s two but it was the strugglers who lead at the break with Boye scoring the goal.

Substitute Fidel Chaves crossed from the left and the Elche forward got between Militao and David Alaba to head in his seventh goal of the season. 

The opening goal had come after Madrid missed a penalty.

Striker Karim Benzema missed his first ever penalty for Real Madrid in the first-half

Vinicius had been brought down by Helibelton Palacios and for all that Elche complained of an earlier foul from Toni Kroos on Pere Milla the kick was given. Benzema had scored 16 out of 16 penalties for Real Madrid but he blazed spot-kick number 17 high over the bar.

Madrid’s play merited the lead with Eden Hazard instrumental in much of their better football. He was picked for only his seventh start and he might have scored on 12 minutes but Vinicius chose to try to finish the chance he had created instead of rolling the ball to the Belgian and Edgar Badia saved.

Vinicius was more generous moments later when he back-heeled the ball back to Hazard who set up Toni Kroos who shot wide.

The Bernabeu honoured Paco Gento on minute 11 with 60 seconds of applause for the six times European Cup and 12 times La Liga winner who died last week aged 88.

Barcelona target Lucas Boye opened the scoring with a header in the 42nd minute

Elche lost Tete Morente to a twisted ankle on 22 minutes with Fidel Chaves coming on. But they were holding their own against the league leaders. Ferland Mendy crossed from the left but Karim Benzema couldn’t finish with a clever flick. Benzema then missed another chance firing straight at Badia from just to the right of the penalty spot. It was another pass from Mendy that put him in.

But when the penalty miss and the Boye goal came just before the break there was a sense of impending doom for Madrid. Hazard was awarded a spot-kick at the restart but VAR helped change the referee’s mind with Palacios not having fouled the Belgian.

Benzema then went off injured with Luca Jovic coming on and Elche – who had won none of their previous 22 trips to the Bernabeu – looked comfortable.

Pere Milla doubled Elche’s lead in the 76th minute with a powerful strike on Sunday

They were even more comfortable on 76 minutes when Boye created a chance with a neat turn on the edge of the area and Milla finished it brilliantly running on to his pass and sending his shot beyond Thibaut Courtois.

There was almost an immediate response but Casemiro’s header from Lucas’ corner came crashing back off the bar. Madrid did get a foothold back in the game when Milla handled in the area. Having appeared to win the game at one end he had now gifted a way back into the game. Modric rolled in the penalty to make it 1-2.

And if you give Madrid a foothold they make the most of it and plant their flag. Militao did that with his injury time header. This was still a two points dropped and second place Sevilla stay just three points behind them. 




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