Alonso's Bold Gamble Backfires as Real Madrid Stunned by Elche in Shocking Upset

Real Madrid's winless streak extended to three matches as they were held to a 2–2 stalemate against Elche in their opening fixture following the November international window.

Xabi Alonso made some puzzling team selection choices on Sunday night, leaving Vinícius Júnior on the bench in favor of Rodrygo while handing starts to Fran García and Dani Ceballos in midfield. These tactical decisions backfired for the Real Madrid manager, who witnessed his team deliver a lackluster performance at the Estadio Martínez Valero before making crucial second-half changes.

Despite late strikes from Dean Huijsen and Jude Bellingham, they couldn't prevent Elche from earning a valuable point. This result leaves Los Blancos with just a single point advantage over Barcelona at the summit of the La Liga table.

Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Elche (3-4-1-3)

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Thibaut Courtois—6.0: Could have performed better for Elche's second strike, though his defensive line offered little support.

CB: Raúl Asencio—7.1: Maintained his solid form covering for injured teammates until Álvaro Rodríguez completely dominated him for Elche's second goal.

CB: Dean Huijsen—8.0: Found the net for Real Madrid's first goal, though he still hasn't delivered a flawless defensive performance without errors.

CB: Álvaro Carreras—6.1: Almost handed Elche a goal in the 18th minute. Carreras appeared confused on the left side with Fran García pushing so far forward.

RWB: Trent Alexander-Arnold—7.8: Provided excellent crosses throughout the match, but will be criticized for losing Febas at the crucial moment.

CM: Arda Güler—7.0: Found it difficult operating in a deeper position. Nevertheless, Güler created two significant opportunities for Real Madrid before his substitution in the 64th minute.

CM: Dani Ceballos—7.2: Committed few errors but had minimal impact on the match or midfield control. His peak performances are now behind him.

LWB: Fran García—6.6: Offered little contribution. The Spanish player was placed in an almost impossible situation by his coach and provided virtually nothing in attack.

AM: Jude Bellingham—8.8: What began as a subdued evening by his usual standards concluded with a goal and assist that saved Los Blancos from total humiliation.

ST: Rodrygo—6.6: Wasted a valuable opportunity to shine. While he maintained perfect passing accuracy during his 57 minutes, Rodrygo failed to capitalize on his chances in the attacking third.

ST: Kylian Mbappé—8.7: Will regret the first-half opportunities he couldn't convert, but Mbappé produced the match's defining moment to secure Los Blancos a point.

Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Sergio Mestre (GK), Ferland Mendy, Endrick, Gonzalo García.

Elche (5-3-2)

Starting XI: Iñaki Peña; Héctor Fort, Álvaro Núñez, David Affengruber, Víctor Chust, Germán Valera; Grady Diangana, Marc Aguado, Aleix Febas; Rafa Mir, André Silva.

Subs used: Adrià Pedrosa, Martim Neto, Álvaro Rodríguez, Léo Pétrot, Federico Redondo.

Player of the Match: Jude Bellingham

Elche 2–2 Real Madrid—How It Unfolded at the Estadio Martínez Valero

Real Madrid began their match in Elche seeking to decisively recover from their disappointing displays against Liverpool and Rayo Vallecano before the November international break. However, they continued where they had left off, showing limited creativity with the ball, making unnecessary errors and appearing nothing like the squad that started this season almost flawlessly.

Indeed, the finest opportunity of the opening 20 minutes at the Estadio Martínez Valero fell to the home team. Álvaro Carreras surrendered possession in his own half to Héctor Fort, who located Rafa Mir just yards from goal. The striker, however, saw his attempt denied by an outstanding save from Thibaut Courtois.

This incident hardly served as a warning for Real Madrid. Alonso's players were careless defensively and showed minimal ingenuity in the attacking third, hindered by García's baffling role in the forward line.

Following a sluggish beginning, Mbappé had two excellent chances to put his team ahead. The French forward broke through on goal in the 30th minute after a rapid run down the right wing, but a poor final touch cost him the opportunity. Three minutes afterward, Trent Alexander-Arnold delivered a spectacular pass directly to his new colleague, who managed only a weak volley straight at Iñaki Peña.

Real Madrid entered the break having failed to score in their last 233 minutes. Matters deteriorated further in the second period when Elche achieved the opening breakthrough. Germán Valera found Aleix Febas with an exquisite backheel pass that the midfielder converted in the 53rd minute.

Alonso responded immediately, introducing Vinícius Júnior, Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga. However, it was an unexpected scorer who finally put Los Blancos level. Jude Bellingham redirected Alexander-Arnold's delivery from the corner to Dean Huijsen, who scored his maiden goal in the white jersey.

Elche restored their advantage in the 84th minute through ex-Real Madrid player Álvaro Rodríguez. The forward outmaneuvered Raúl Asencio and fired a left-footed shot beyond Courtois into the net.

Bellingham then provided the response just three minutes later. A chaotic sequence beginning with an Alexander-Arnold free kick concluded with the England midfielder scoring an equalizer for his team, courtesy of a superb play by Mbappé to keep the ball alive.

Elche was reduced to 10 players during stoppage time, but insufficient time remained for Real Madrid to secure victory.

Elche vs. Real Madrid Halftime Stats

Elche vs. Real Madrid Full Time Statistics