Elche came close to producing a memorable win with a spirited performance, but ultimately couldn’t hold on.
After both sides wasted several chances, the second half exploded with goals. Elche twice took the lead and looked on course for a famous victory, but Real Madrid fought back on both occasions to salvage a point.
Xabi Alonso’s side returned from the away trip with a 2-2 draw in La Liga on Sunday. While avoiding defeat brought some relief, dropping two points is still a big setback for the visitors.
Aleix Febas put Elche ahead before Dean Huijsen struck to level for Real. Álvaro Rodríguez restored Elche’s lead soon after, but Jude Bellingham equalised again for the visitors.
Real had scored four goals against Valencia at the start of the month, but they then went two straight matches without finding the net—losing 1-0 at Liverpool in the Champions League and drawing 0-0 with Rayo Vallecano in La Liga. After the international break, they finally scored again but still failed to secure a win, much to the frustration of Europe’s most decorated club.
Just two rounds ago, Real Madrid were five points clear of Barcelona in the title race. That gap has now shrunk to just one.
Real remain top with 32 points from 13 matches—10 wins and 2 draws—while Barcelona sit second with 31.
The first big chance of the match fell to Elche in the 17th minute. Rafa Mir found himself free just outside the six-yard box, but Thibaut Courtois blocked his shot with his leg.
Minutes later, Kylian Mbappé had two great opportunities in quick succession, but both times he was denied by goalkeeper Iñaki Peña.
Real produced eight shots in the first half, but only two were on target. Elche, meanwhile, had three shots on goal from seven attempts.
Two minutes into the second half, Real tested Peña again. Rodrigo fired a powerful effort inside the box after receiving a pass from Mbappé, but the Barcelona loanee tipped it over for a corner.
Elche struck first in the second half, taking the lead in the 53rd minute. A slick passing move ended with a clever backheel assist, allowing Febas to burst into the box and poke the ball past Courtois at the far post.
Real manager Alonso responded with three substitutions at once—replacing Dani Ceballos, Rodrygo, and Fran García with Eduardo Camavinga, Vinícius Júnior, and Federico Valverde.
Real finally broke through in the 78th minute. A corner deflected off Bellingham’s shoulder before falling to Huijsen, who smashed in a right-footed shot to make it 1-1.
But the joy was short-lived. In the 84th minute, Álvaro Rodríguez fired a fierce strike from outside the box to restore Elche’s lead.
Real hit back quickly. In the 87th minute, Bellingham’s powerful shot was saved but not cleared, falling to Mbappé on the far side. His cutback found Bellingham again, and the Englishman scored on his second attempt.
During the sequence, Peña rushed out to block Bellingham’s first shot and was struck in the face after a collision with the onrushing Vinícius, causing his nose to bleed. He received treatment but continued playing.
Deep into stoppage time, Elche defender Víctor was shown a second yellow card for fouling Mbappé. However, there was not enough time left for Real to capitalize on the numerical advantage.
Real Madrid will return to action on Wednesday in the Champions League, facing Olympiacos as they look to end a frustrating run of three games without a win.
