apparatus for bonding at least two plies of a fibrous web , includes : a first roller having an outer periphery , at least one embossing protuberance provided on the outer periphery ; and a second roller having an outer periphery and being elastic at least in a radial direction , the second roller including at least an inner layer and an outer layer that is harder than the inner layer , the second roller together with the first roller forming a nip through which the two plies are to be fed , wherein an embossing element is located on top of at least one of the embossing protuberance , an embossing area of each embossing element being smaller than an embossing area of the corresponding embossing protuberance so that the two plies are bonded at discrete locations corresponding to the first and second embossing elements . multi - ply product including the bonded plies and corresponding method are also described .