Real Madrid player ratings vs Elche: Jude Bellingham to the rescue! England international snatches late draw as Xabi Alonso's side drop points in wild stalemate

Jude Bellingham scored and assisted but Real Madrid otherwise struggled against a resolute Elche in a disappointing 2-2 draw. Los Blancos will take heart from overturning a deficit, but were admittedly sloppy for long stretches against a side they are expected to beat.

Elche enjoyed the majority of the play in the first half, repeatedly hitting on the break. But they were met each time by the impervious Thibaut Courtois, who came up with three big saves to deny the home side. Madrid had their chances, though. Alexander-Arnold delivered smartly for Kylian Mbappe, but the Frenchman fired right at Inaki Pena.

The home side finally made the break through in the second half. It only took two passes, a quick interchange to take two Madrid defenders out of play before Aleix Febas poked past a diving Courtois. Xabi Alonso responded in turn, introducing Vinicius Jr for an extra attacking spark. The result was a Madrid resurgence of sorts. They applied pressure, and were finally rewarded. A corner did the trick, Dean Huijsen turning home after a Jude Bellingham flick on.

And from there, it should have been all Madrid. But Elche had another moment in them. Alvaro Rodriguez, a Madrid academy graduate, gave his side a 2-1 lead with a fine effort from distance. Yet Madrid responded again. This time, Bellingham scored it, side footing into an empty net from Mbappe's clever cutback.

There were more forays forward from both sides, and a third goal seemed possible. Still, it never came, and Madrid were left to settle for a frustrating point.

GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from Estadio Martinez Valero...

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Goalkeeper & Defence
Thibaut Courtois (6/10):
Made a few tidy saves in the first half. Beaten twice in the second - and might feel as though he should have denied one of them.
Raul Asencio (6/10):
A bit erratic at the back while covering for Trent. Failed to track a man on a goal.
Dean Huijsen (7/10):
Grabbed a goal, did his defensive work well.
Alvaro Carreras (6/10):
Looked a bit less certain in a back three, and wasn't sure whether to cover the wing or the middle, at times.

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Midfield
Trent Alexander-Arnold (6/10):
A typically mixed performance. Fell asleep on the goal but also moved the ball wonderfully. More to come.
Dani Ceballos (5/10):
Pretty tepid in midfield. Threw some silly tackles and was easily bypassed by a direct Elche side.
Arda Guler (6/10):
Outmuscled for the most part. Created two chances but a deeper lying role didn't quite suit him without Aurelien Tchouameni for cover.
Fran Garcia (6/10):
Scampered up and down the left. Made a load of selfish runs, but didn't connect particularly well.
Jude Bellingham (9/10):
Excellent throughout. Scored Madrid's second, put in some lovely defensive work and assisted Huijsen's equaliser. Absurd that anyone questions his England credentials.
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Attack
Rodrygo (6/10):
Didn't exactly seize the moment in his first start since October 19. A few nice touches and put a couple of efforts on target, but nothing quite came off for him.
Kylian Mbappe (7/10):
Made some dangerous runs, saw a shot well saved in the first half. Provided a clever assist for Bellingham. Impactful, even if he didn't score.

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Subs & Manager
Federico Valverde (6/10):
Full of legs but no real impact.
Vinicius Jr (6/10):
A bit mixed, all said. Took on his man with regularity in a lively 30 minutes, but never came up with a moment of magic.
Eduardo Camavinga (6/10):
Snapped into tackles - most of which he won. Provided some valuable forward thrust, too.
Gonzalo Garcia (N/A):
Missed an open goal in stoppage time.
Brahim Diaz (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Xabi Alonso (5/10):
Mixed things up with a 3-4-2-1, but Madrid never really had any control. Didn't deserve more than a point. A poor evening.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Midfield

Attack

Subs & Manager