Federico Valverde scores his fifth goal in three games as Real Madrid beat Elche to move one point behind Barcelona.
Posted on March 14, 2026
Federico Valverde scored the back of the net and the headlines once again for Real Madrid as they beat Elche 4-1 in La Liga to move within one point of leaders and defending champions Barcelona.
The midfielder scored his fifth goal in three games for Los Blancos, having scored a midweek hat-trick against Manchester City, with a shot from the edge of the area just before half-time on Saturday.
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He doubled his team’s lead after Antonio Rudiger volleyed home the first goal in the 39th minute, following a fight in the area following a Real corner.
Dean Huijsen was the most advanced player who headed Real’s third in the 66th minute, but the defender was left unmarked in the area, where he remained after another corner that Elche failed to clear.
Even an own goal from Manuel Ángel could not discourage the whites, as Arda Guler scored the fourth goal for the hosts.
Barcelona can regain their four-point lead at the top of the table when they play Sevilla on Sunday.
The match had been a nervous affair at the Bernabéu stadium until Rudiger’s first goal calmed the Madrid crowd.
The victory marks the third consecutive victory for Real, who had lost two in a row in the league before the current skid, and parted ways with their coach Xabi Alonso in January.
Interim coach Álvaro Arbeloa, also a former Real Madrid player, couldn’t have asked for a better week, with one of the best performances of the season in Wednesday’s victory against City in the UEFA Champions League.
Arbeloa’s team takes a 3-0 lead against Manchester into the second leg on Tuesday, and with the race for La Liga tightening, what looked like a nightmare season could still end with Madrid’s two most coveted titles.
Elche, which was promoted to La Liga last season, remains mired in the relegation fight, just one point above third-bottom club Mallorca, who host Espanyol on Sunday.
