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Vinícius Júnior insisted “the goals will come back” after he failed to score again in Real Madrid’s 3–2 win over Elche on Tuesday night-one that has drawn José Mourinho’s side, temporarily at least, level on points with Barcelona.
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The Brazilian was substituted by Mourinho after just 68 minutes, having taken five shots (a match high), only one of which was on target.
The forward’s recent form has become something of a concern for Madrid this season, with the player himself admitting his slump on social media after the match.
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“The goals will come back… I can’t miss so many,” he posted on Instagram. “There’s more on Sunday. Hala Madrid!”
Los Blancos face Atlético Madrid at the Metropolitano this weekend in the first Madrid derby of the season. The 26-year-old scored twice in his last meeting with Atleti in a 3–2 La Liga victory back in March.
Mourinho Bemoans Madrid’s Lack of Killer Instinct
While Madrid left Elche with three points on Tuesday, they were made to work hard for their victory. Los Blancos were 2–0 up when Vinícius Jr was subbed off midway through the second half, but the hosts fought back to level the game with less than ten minutes to go.
It was summer signing Carlos Espí who became the hero off the bench once again, tapping in a stoppage-time winner.
After the match, Mourinho did not namecheck Vinícius Jr, but referenced his team’s inability to kill off games when in control.
“In games that seem like they’re done, we have three, four, five chances to kill it, and we don’t,” Mourinho lamented. “We didn’t score, we didn’t finish it with the 3 or 4-0. When it seems easy, you leave things like that, away from home at these stadiums. They get a goal and it’s an open game. The good thing is that in difficulty, the team reacts and wins.”
Mourinho has previously said that Vinícius Jr “isn’t at his best”, and that he’s waiting for the 26-year-old to reach his “top level.”
Vinícius Jr’s Drought Explained
Vinícius Jr is now without a goal in five matches since his strike against Real Sociedad, which remains his only effort of the season. It’s a marked contrast to how he ended the 2025–26 season-five goals in his final six outings of the campaign an impressive run of form-in which he scored 22 times across all competitions.
Despite the lull in goals, the Brazilian is still taking plenty of shots. He ranks fourth in La Liga for shots attempted with 20 in six matches, and Kylian Mbappé (40) is the only Madrid player to attempt more. However, when it comes to xG, Vinícius Jr only ranks ninth in La Liga with 2.90.
After a low-key performance against Inter Milan in the Champions League, Vinícius Jr faced boos and whistles from the Bernabéu-which prompted a staunch defense from Mourinho, at least publicly. However, it remains to be seen whether the manager will consider changing up his team or even dropping one of Madrid’s biggest stars in the coming games.
So far during Mourinho’s second reign, Vinícius Jr has yet to shine out wide on the left of the manager’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation-a system that appears to be playing to the strengths of Mbappé and Jude Bellingham, but not yet the Brazilian who signed a big-money contract extension just last month.
When it comes to creating, the left-sided forward has three assists this season-more than any other Madrid player. He ranks second in the team for chances created with 13, behind Arda Güler (27).
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Vinicius Junior Responds to Another Real Madrid Game Without a Goal.
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This story was originally published September 16, 2026 at 9:30 AM.