Despite going behind to Fran Garcia’s deflected strike midway through the second period Elche hit a quickfire double against European hopefuls Rayo Vallecano earning three important points and boosting their chances of survival.
Guido Carrillo bravely steered home after some pinball in the Rayo box before Ezequiel Ponce raced clear on the counter to clinch a first win in over a month for Elche and take them to just below mid-table, nine points clear of the bottom three.
Elche had carved out the best chance of the first half with Enzo Roco testing Luca Zidane, but Rayo took the initiative after the restart, with Fran Garcia’s deflected strike edging them in front.
But the visitors were unable to build on that positivity as Elche hit them with two late goals.
Up next for Elche is a trip along the coast to Levante next Friday with Rayo at home to neighbours Real Madrid next weekend
