Elche catch Atletico napping to end 38-year nightmare
Given their fate was confirmed with a 2-1 defeat to Almeria last weekend, Elche entered the contest with only pride to play for. That did not stop the hosts from putting their opponents under early pressure, however, and they weren’t far away from taking a surprise lead in the fifth minute when Lautaro Blanco drove into the box from the left flank before firing straight at Ivo Grbic. Two minutes later, Grbic’s opposite number, Edgar Badia, was called into action to parry Alvaro Morata’s flicked header away from danger.
Elche, rather than their in-form guests, continued to carry the greater threat for the remainder of the first period. Randy Nteka saw his left-footed strike comfortably saved at the near post, while Lucas Boye fizzed an effort wide from the edge of the box.
Finally, with three minutes remaining until the interval, Elche took a deserved lead when Grbic failed to deal with a long throw, pushing the ball into the path of Fidel Chaves, who steered home his third goal of the season.
Trailing by one goal at the break, Atletico knew they would have to produce a significantly improved display after the interval if they wanted to record a fourth successive win. The visitors looked set to restore parity just after the hour mark when Yannick Carrasco raced through on goal, but instead of squaring the ball to Morata for a simple finish, the Belgium international unsuccessfully attempted to round Badia.
The Elche goalkeeper needed to spring into action again in the 70th minute, making an important save to deny Morata, who failed to take advantage of a promising one-on-one opportunity, once more.
Despite holding the worst defensive record in the top flight, Elche stood firm to frustrate the visitors, who ultimately fell to a narrow defeat that leaves them in third position and two points behind second-placed Real Madrid. Diego Simeone's men missed the opportunity to guarantee a top-four spot but, barring an unmitigated disaster, they will be competing in the UEFA Champions League once more next term.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Fidel Chaves (Elche)
