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.

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