Elche heap further misery on 10-man Atletico Madrid with crucial win in relegation battle

Atletico fielded a significantly altered lineup following their Copa del Rey final setback at the weekend, yet they began to mend the hurt from that penalty shootout defeat against Sociedad by forging ahead in the 10th minute.

Nicolás González seized the ball deep inside his own territory and surged forward, linking up smartly with Rodri Mendoza via a quick one-two before slotting it into the net.

Elche had squandered an earlier chance to lead when Rafa Mir connected with a half-volley on Germán Valera’s delivery, only for it to drift just above the crossbar. Still, they capitalised on the subsequent opening that arose around the 18-minute mark.

The ball from a partly cleared corner was nodded back into the danger zone by Tete Morente, allowing David Affengruber to outmuscle Jan Oblak and nudge the loose ball beyond him.

The home side maintained their intensity, and it was this relentless approach that sparked their next breakthrough.

At the 30-minute juncture, Affengruber pressured Thiago Almada into a turnover near the penalty area’s edge, resulting in the Argentine receiving a red card for tugging at Affengruber’s jersey and halting a promising goal threat. André Silva coolly deceived Oblak from 12 yards.

Yet, almost immediately after the restart, the away team restored parity again, as González exploited space on the right flank and nodded his own lob over Matías Dituro before Affengruber could intervene.

Valera nearly produced a stunning strike towards the end of the first period, but after managing just one goal in their prior eight Elche appearances, the team had already sent a strong message.

Simeone’s charges believed they had netted once more shortly into the second half, with Álex Baena controlling a lofted pass and converting neatly, though the linesman’s flag disallowed it for offside.

In retaliation, Mir managed to direct a low-driven cross from Valera towards goal with his head, presenting Oblak with a straightforward stop, which stood as the sole attempt from either side until shortly past the hour, when the keeper clumsily punched clear ahead of Mir finishing at a set piece.

Elche detected vulnerability, as Affengruber saw his corner header parried by Oblak, only for the defender to latch onto the follow-up and assist Silva for his second of the match.

Álvaro Rodríguez ought to have sealed the outcome moments later but fluffed a prime opportunity wide, though Elche repelled Atletico’s final push, highlighted by Antoine Griezmann drawing a superb stop from Dituro in the 89th minute, to secure a third successive home triumph.

Regarding Atletico, this marks their seventh league loss on the road this term, leaving the side with merely one such victory in 2026.