Vinicius Junior's Derby Warning After Elche Match

Vinicius fires derby warning after wasteful night against Elche

The scoreboard said 3-2 to Real Madrid. For Vinicius Junior, it felt like a missed opportunity.

The Brazilian forward was at the heart of Real Madrid’s chaotic win over Elche in the sixth round of La Liga, stretching the defence, carving out chances, constantly threatening. But when it came to the decisive touch, it simply would not fall for him.

He left the pitch without a goal or an assist, frustrated after spurning several clear openings. Luck turned its back on him in front of goal, and with the game still in the balance, Jose Mourinho made the call in the 68th minute and took him off.

Real Madrid still found a way. Deep into stoppage time, Carlos Espi struck in the 90+1 minute to rescue the points and spare Madrid a damaging slip. The Bernabéu exhaled. Vinicius, though, had already begun plotting his response.

Not on the pitch. On his phone.

Later, through the Story feature on his Instagram account, the winger delivered a blunt message. No filters, no excuses. “My goals will return soon, I cannot keep wasting all these chances! On Sunday more is coming, Hala Madrid,” he wrote.

It was more than a caption. It was a promise.

The timing could not be sharper. Real Madrid now head into one of the fiercest fixtures of their season: the capital derby against Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano, on Sunday evening in the seventh round of the league campaign.

Vinicius may not have scored against Elche, but he did everything else. He stretched the lines, drove at defenders, and helped Real Madrid pile on pressure until the very end. The only thing missing was the finish.

Now he has circled the derby on his calendar as the stage to put that right.

His message to Atletico and to everyone watching is clear enough: the drought will not last, and he intends to walk into the Metropolitano with a point to prove and a goal to find.