Arda Guler scored from his own half and Fede Valverde capped an excellent week with another fine goal as Real Madrid defeated Elche 4-1 in La Liga on Saturday.
Second-placed Los Blancos closed the gap on Barcelona at the top of La Liga to a point before the Catalans hosted Sevilla on Sunday.
Uruguayan midfielder Valverde, who scored a sensational hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League in midweek, fired the ball into the top corner before half-time after Antonio Rudiger fired the hosts ahead.
Dean Huijsen headed in third place for Alvaro Arbeloa’s team, who visit City on Tuesday with the aim of reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League.
However, the goal of the evening was scored late on by Turkish playmaker Guler, who saw Elche goalkeeper Matias Dituro off his line and lobbed it in from close to the center circle.
«Everyone had their hands on their heads… it’s worth buying a ticket to see that goal,» Arbeloa said.
Arbeloa was able to rest some of the players who started after the break, including Vinicius Junior, Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni, bringing in a host of youngsters to keep their legs fresh for the trip to Manchester.
Madrid’s coach named captain Dani Carvajal at right-back and rested Trent Alexander-Arnold, while young midfielder Thiago Pitarch started for the fourth consecutive game.
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Madrid are still without a large number of injured starts, including Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo Goes, while France striker Kylian Mbappe could return from a knee sprain next week mnb4.
Elche, 17th, fell to an 11th consecutive league match without a win and could end the weekend in the relegation zone.
Patience and goals
Madrid were on a high after beating City and although Elche initially showed some resistance, the squad was gradually loosened.
After Dituro saved Valverde’s free-kick, Elche were unable to effectively clear the rebound and German centre-back Rudiger fired home in the 39th minute.
Valverde added a second before half-time, showing composure to open a corner on the edge of the penalty area and guide the ball into the top corner for his fifth goal in his last three appearances.
Madrid were cruising and Arbeloa – a former coach at youth level within the club – brought in several young players, including Daniel Yanez. The 18-year-old winger provided Madrid’s third with a beautiful cross, which Huijsen nodded home.
“Yanez and (Diego) Aguado are two of the first players I coached when they were 13, 14 years old, to be able to use them at the Bernabeu is a dream come true for me,” Arbeloa said.
Another Madrid substitute, Manuel Angel, put the ball into his own goal when he tried to clear the ball five minutes from time. However, Guler restored Madrid’s lead with a touch of class from his own territory with a shot that flew high over Dituro, who chased back desperately and without success.
Published on March 15, 2026
