Real Madrid had to dig themselves out of trouble not once but twice as they scraped a 2–2 draw away at Elche, a result that probably feels like relief for Los Blancos and a missed opportunity for a spirited Elche side who played with far more courage than their recent form suggests.
Softfootball reported in the pre-game review that Elche were aiming to cause an upset, and they did in tremendous fashion. They will even be disappointed in the result.
Xabi Alonso had earlier warned that the game would be very demanding, and from the first whistle, Elche looked surprisingly bold. At one point, Álvaro Núñez casually dribbled the ball through his own penalty area like it was nothing, a moment that said everything about the home side’s confidence.
After the draw, Hector Fort sent a message to Elche fans in a video uploaded via the team’s official X account, as the team saw the result against Real Madrid as a positive one.
Watch the video below:
Still, you can’t ever completely relax against Real Madrid. Kylian Mbappé served a reminder of that when he bent a shot just wide after linking up with Raúl Asencio.
Elche didn’t blink. André Silva steered a header past the post, Grady Diangana saw an effort blocked, and Rafa Mir probably should’ve scored after Héctor Fort pinched the ball high up the pitch. But Thibaut Courtois stood tall and denied him with that familiar calmness he has in one-on-one moments.
Real had their looks too. Asencio headed off-target from Trent Alexander-Arnold’s corner, and Arda Güler almost stole the show with a curling strike that left the stadium holding its breath. Elche still pushed back, and Dean Huijsen had to bail himself out after misjudging a long ball that almost put Silva through.
Mbappé then twice tested Iñaki Peña, a heavy touch spoiling one chance, the keeper stopping a volley on the next. By halftime, the game had somehow stayed 0–0 despite both teams swinging freely.
The second half didn’t calm down either. Peña immediately tipped Rodrygo’s rocket wide, and then Elche finally broke through. A slick team move ended with Germán Valera’s clever backheel releasing Aleix Febas, who poked the ball past Courtois and in off the post. A deserved lead, honestly.
Xabi Alonso reacted fast, throwing on fresh legs everywhere. One of them, Gonzalo García, nearly equalised but headed over. The breakthrough finally arrived in the 78th minute: Bellingham won the first contact from an Alexander-Arnold corner, and Huijsen scrambled it over the line.
But Elche, they refused to fold. Only six minutes later, Álvaro Rodríguez surged forward and smashed one past Courtois from range to make it 2–1 and send the stadium into a frenzy.
Still, Real Madrid never go away. Mbappé forced a save and then squared the rebound across for Bellingham, who buried it to make it 2–2 late on. They even had a chance to win it, but Gonzalo couldn’t quite meet Eduardo Camavinga’s low ball with enough power.
Elche ended the match with ten men after Víctor Chust picked up a second yellow for tugging Mbappé’s shirt, a frustrating finish to a night when they truly went toe-to-toe with the league leaders.
Real returned to the top of La Liga with the draw, but it was far from comfortable. Elche, meanwhile, stay winless in six, though this performance might just give them something to build on.
