Jude Bellingham’s 87th-minute equalizer saved Real Madrid from defeat at Elche and restored Los Blancos to the top of the table.
Published November 24, 2025
Jude Bellingham scored a late goal to lead Real Madrid to a 2-2 draw against Elche on Sunday, leaving them one point clear at the top of the table.
Xabi Alonso’s side struggled against a mid-table opponent, and it was an interesting battle with Madrid coming back from behind to win twice.
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Alvaro Rodríguez put Elche ahead before Aleix Febas scored the opening goal and Bellingham poked home from close range as Dean Huisen put them top of the league.
Barcelona beat Athletic Bilbao 4-0 on Saturday in their first match back at Camp Nou, cutting Madrid’s lead by two points at the weekend.
Alonso left Vinicius Junior on the bench and gave Rodrigo Goes a rare start as part of the attack. The manager also gave Trent Alexander-Arnold his first start since August.
The England international has been sidelined for several weeks through injury and is yet to hit his stride after joining from Liverpool in the summer.
Alexander-Arnold was partly responsible for Febus’ goal, with the midfielder sneaking in behind him to break the deadlock in the second half.
Elche sets the mood
Elche impressed against Barcelona a few weeks ago and gave Madrid a tough night at the Martinez Valero Stadium.
Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois made a great save early on to deny Andre da Silva’s shot after Hector Fort teed him up.
The forward was caught up in an unfortunate incident earlier in the day at Real Madrid’s annual general meeting, when Los Blancos happened to display his photo in memory of former Liverpool striker Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who died in a car crash in July.
Former Barça goalkeeper Iñaki Pena denied Kylian Mbappé after he broke through in front of goal to stop the French superstar’s volley in Madrid’s biggest chance of the first half.
Elche took the lead early in the second half, surprising Madrid with some clever moves.
A great backheel from German Varela sent Febus diving behind Alexander-Arnold, past Courtois, across the goal and hitting the post.
Alonso responded by introducing Vinicius Junior, followed by young striker Gonzalo Garcia. Alexander-Arnold made some amends with his contribution to Madrid’s equalizer.
His cross was reflected off his own crossbar by a defender, resulting in a corner kick. Alexander-Arnold smashed it in, and Bellingham smashed the ball into the path of Huisen, who smashed it home.
Elche regained the lead when Rodríguez made a powerful drive from the front of the box past Courtois.
But three minutes later, Mbappé kept the ball and Bellingham scored from close range to equalize Madrid for the second time.
The England midfielder was in the spotlight when he returned home earlier in the week, unhappy at being sacked by national team manager Thomas Tuchel.
Bellingham wasn’t at his best against Elche, but he was involved in two of Madrid’s goals, highlighting his ability to change the game in the box even in quiet moments.
