Real Madrid thrash Elche 4–1 in La Liga

March 15, 2026 / 12:07 PM

Sharjah24: Real Madrid continued to pile pressure on arch-rivals Barcelona at the top of La Liga after a commanding 4–1 victory over Elche at the Santiago Bernabéu in Matchweek 28 of the Spanish league.

The Spanish giants effectively secured the result in the first half with two goals. Germany international defender Antonio Rüdiger opened the scoring in the 39th minute, before Uruguay midfielder Federico Valverde doubled the lead just five minutes later (44).

Real Madrid strengthened their advantage in the second half when defender Dean Huijsen added a third goal in the 66th minute.

Late drama and stunning finish

Elche pulled one back in the 85th minute when Manuel Ángel found the net after the ball deflected past Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. However, substitute Arda Güler sealed the emphatic victory four minutes later with a spectacular long-range strike from around 55 metres, catching Argentine goalkeeper Matías Dituro off his line.

The win keeps Real Madrid in second place with 66 points, narrowing the gap to just one point behind Barcelona, who host Sevilla on Sunday.