Elche 2 - 2 FT Real Madrid

Bellingham's 87th-minute rescue caps a four-goal thriller as Madrid clings to title hopes

Must-Watch Futmetrix Score: 100/100. When the league leader meets a relegation-battler at full Intensity, the script tears itself apart—and this night, nobody won.

Four lead changes in 90 minutes of chaos

The Martínez Valero became a powder keg from kickoff. Elche—tenth place, 16 points, stuttering form—had no business playing Real Madrid, the imperious league leaders sitting on 32 points with just one loss all season. Yet Balance doesn't care about the table. Aleix Febas struck first in the 53rd minute, and suddenly the underdog had the whip. Madrid answered through Dean Huijsen in the 78th—order restored. Except it wasn't. By the 84th, substitute A. Rodríguez flipped the script again. The Stakes had never felt higher.

The 87th minute: Bellingham's salvation

Three minutes from time, Jude Bellingham delivered the equalizer that felt like a reprieve. Teed up by Kylian Mbappé, the Englishman made it 2-2 and sent Madrid's bench into delirium. But football's cruelty arrived in the 90th+6th: Víctor Chust saw red for a foul, leaving Elche down to ten men with nowhere to go. The upset factor had peaked—Madrid kept their unbeaten record alive, but the crown slipped.

Iñaki Peña was the wall between the posts with five crucial saves. Madrid peppered 20 shots—only seven on target—a tell-tale sign of a team desperate but imprecise. Elche's 15 shots, six on target, told a different story: a side playing for survival, not the points, but their dignity.

Real Madrid smothers Elche's last flicker of hope

Worth Watching Futmetrix Score: 60/100. Elche's relegation battle meets an unstoppable force in Real Madrid—this is a mismatch masquerading as a contest.

The Setup

Elche arrives in freefall: five straight games without a win (L-D-D-L-L), clinging to 16 points in 11th place. The Stakes are suffocating—every point separates survival from the drop. Real Madrid, by contrast, is a machine. Eleven wins from 15 games, only one defeat all season, 36 points. Their Form is suffocating opponents; their Balance is lethal. Carlo Ancelotti's side scores 2.1 goals per game while conceding just 0.87. Elche has been outscored 17 times while only netting 15.

Key Battle

Matías Dituro vs Kylian Mbappé—Elche's goalkeeper must produce miracles to contain the French striker. Mbappé has torched five goals in his last five matches (7.6 average rating). Dituro showed flashes of brilliance (9.2 rating last time out), but stopping Mbappé in this form is like blocking lightning with bare hands.

Our Prediction

Madrid suffocates possession from kickoff. Elche parks the bus with five defenders, but the pressure is relentless. Mbappé finds space on the left, cuts inside, and slots past Dituro in the 58th minute. Jude Bellingham capitalizes on a turnover to add the second in the 72nd. Elche's survival hopes take another hit.