Real Madrid vs Elche: Los Blancos thump Elche to put pressure on Barcelona

Real Madrid turned on the style at Santiago Bernabeu, as they did few days ago against Manchester City, romping Elche 4-1 to cut the deficit on league leaders Barcelona.

Antonio Rüdiger set the ball rolling before goals from Federico Valverde, Dean Huijsen, and Arda Güler completed the rout. Teenager Manuel Angel Moran scored an own-goal to give the travelling support something to cheer in a game in which their team offered little.

The match began as a surprisingly cagey affair, with Elche controlling long spells of possession and frustrating a Real Madrid side that struggled to find its usual attacking rhythm in the opening half-hour. 

The hosts found it difficult to break down a stubborn defensive block. However, the deadlock was finally broken in the 39th minute when a Real Madrid corner sparked a scramble inside the penalty area, allowing Antonio Rüdiger to instinctively slam the ball past goalkeeper Matías Dituro. 

The opening goal shattered Elche's resolve, and Madrid struck again just before the interval in the 44th minute; Fran García expertly laid the ball off to Federico Valverde, who unleashed a devastating right-footed rocket from the edge of the area into the top corner for his fifth goal in three games.

Real Madrid maintained their dominance after the restart, though Brahim Díaz squandered a golden one-on-one opportunity to extend the lead early in the second half. 

Seeking to manage his squad's workload ahead of their Champions League return leg clash against Manchester City, Arbeloa turned to his bench in the 58th minute, introducing fresh legs, mostly young players, underscoring his trust in La Fabrica. 

One such young player, Diego Yáñez turned provider for thr third goal, collecting the ball on the right flank and whipping a delightful cross into the box for Dean Huijsen, who had stayed forward following a set-piece, to power a commanding header into the net.

Elche continued to play purposefully despite the heavy deficit, and their persistence was unexpectedly rewarded in the 85th minute when Camavinga clumsily lost possession inside his own penalty area; Diangana pounced and delivered a dangerous cut-back that substitute Manuel Ángel inadvertently bundled into his own net. 

Any hopes of an unlikely late comeback were immediately extinguished in spectacular fashion in the 89th minute. Capitalising on a glaring distribution error from Dituro, Arda Güler spotted the goalkeeper off his line and executed an outrageous lob from inside his own half, perfectly finding the back of the net to seal the 4-1 rout.

This routine 4-1 victory propels Real Madrid to 63 points, moving them within a single point of Barcelona ahead of the Catalans' crucial Sunday fixture against Sevilla.