Carlos Espí, Mourinho’s trump card who appears at the right moment

15.09.26 FT LaLiga Spain

Elche

2

:

Real Madrid

3

Real Madrid thought they had let two points slip away at Elche. With Madrid leading 2-0, the hosts fought back to level the score and the match seemed destined to end in a draw. Then Carlos Espí came off the bench. In the 90th minute plus one, the forward scored the 3-2 winner and gave Real a victory that had seemed to be slipping away just minutes earlier.

This is not the first time the young Madrid player has made an impact in the dying seconds. In the 2-1 win over Espanyol at Cornellà, Espí had already found the net in the 90th minute. Two goals after the 90th minute in just six La Liga matchdays.

This statistic places him in a particularly select group. Until then, only one player had achieved a similar feat: Ayoze Pérez with Villarreal during the 2024-2025 season. Carlos Espí has therefore joined the Spanish forward in the competition’s history.

Read also: Official: Carlos Espi joins Real Madrid

Two substitute appearances, two decisive moments

At Elche, José Mourinho chose to bring Espí on for the final quarter of an hour. The situation had become much less favorable for Real Madrid. After taking a two-goal lead, the visitors had seen Elche come back to make it 2-2.

There was little time left to regain the lead. Espí did not take long to make his mark on the match. In the 90th minute plus one, he scored Madrid’s third goal and turned a tense finish into a victory.

A few weeks earlier, his goal at Cornellà had already produced a similar scenario. Coming on during the match, Espí had waited until the final seconds to make the difference.

Two appearances in stoppage time, two goals that carried significant weight on the scoreboard. For Mourinho, Carlos Espí is becoming a special weapon when a decision needs to be forced in the final minutes.

And his name is now associated with that of Ayoze Pérez in a statistic that very few La Liga players have managed to achieve.

Nouya M'toama

Editorfr, en

Versatile journalist specializing in sports and political news, with extensive experience across radio, print and digital media platforms.

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