La Liga survival hopes received a major boost on an eventful night as Elche CF came from behind to defeat a 10-man Atlético Madrid 3-2 at home, deepening the visitors’ alarming slump, now seven defeats in their last eight games across all competitions.
Atlético, reshuffled after their Copa del Rey final disappointment at the weekend, actually struck first inside 10 minutes.
Nicolás González seized the ball in his own half, drove forward with intent, combined neatly with Rodri Mendoza in a quick one-two, and finished clinically to give the visitors an early advantage.
Elche, however, had already threatened when Rafa Mir met Germán Valera’s cross on the volley, only to send his effort just over. They would not wait long for a breakthrough, though.
Eighteen minutes in, a partially cleared corner was recycled into the box by Tete Morente, and David Affengruber reacted quickest, beating Jan Oblak to the loose ball to prod home the equaliser.
The hosts grew stronger and capitalised on sustained pressure midway through the first half.
Affengruber dispossessed Thiago Almada near the edge of the box, and after a tug on his shirt denied a clear scoring chance, Almada was shown a straight red card. André Silva stepped up and calmly sent Oblak the wrong way to complete the turnaround from the penalty spot.
Atlético responded almost immediately after the restart. González again found space on the right, and though his effort took an unusual trajectory, it ended up crossing the line after a looping touch beat Matías Dituro before Affengruber could clear.
Diego Simeone’s side thought they had retaken the lead early in the second half when Álex Baena finished smartly from a lofted pass, but the offside flag cut celebrations short.
Chances were limited for a spell thereafter, with Rafa Mir coming closest for Elche, heading a Valera cross towards goal but finding Oblak untroubled.
The decisive moment arrived after the hour mark when Oblak spilled a corner under pressure, and Affengruber reacted first once again, squaring for André Silva to finish his second goal of the night.
Elche had opportunities to kill the game off, most notably when Álvaro Rodríguez blazed a clear chance wide.
Even so, they held firm under late pressure, including a superb 89th-minute save from Dituro to deny Antoine Griezmann, sealing a third straight home win.
For Atlético, the defeat extends a worrying away run, with just one league victory on the road in 2026 and seven away losses already this season.
