Real Madrid 3 – APOEL 0: player ratings

Real Madrid has kicked off their UEFA Champions League campaign in style. With a comfortable 3-0 win over Cypriot side APOEL, the Santiago Bernabéu welcomed not only its first UCL win of the season but also the first competitive home win since the Spanish Super Cup. A brace from Cristiano Ronaldo and a bicycle kick from Sergio Ramos sealed the win for Los Blancos. Let’s take a look a the Real Madrid player ratings from the match:

Keylor Navas: 7/10

Finally, a clean sheet! Keylor Navas saw very little action in tonight’s game. With APOEL being incredibly limited in having chances and having only a single shot on target – Navas had little to do. When called upon on the rare occasion, he did his duty with complete ease.

With so little to do throughout the game, the main takeaway for Navas and also for Real Madrid is the fact they have their first clean sheet in the first Champions League game of the season. Cheers, all round!

Dani Carvajal: 7/10

This game was another decent performance from Dani Carvajal. Due to the complete control of the opponent in the game, Carvajal had little to do defensively and spent a lot of the game on the attack. On the rare occasion that he was needed to defend, he did so with little trouble.

He put in a few good crosses and tackles during the match. Perhaps the only blot on his record from tonight would be the fact he got himself an unnecessary yellow card.

Nacho Fernandez: 7.5/10

Another game and yet another solid performance from the ever reliable Nacho. With Raphael Varane being injured as of late, Nacho has been a solid fill in. Tonight’s game was no different. He didn’t put a foot wrong whether it was shutting down the very few APOEL attacks or galloping his way up the field.

Nacho put in an all around great performance. With Varane now fully fit again, it will be a shame to see Nacho dropped to the bench as his run in the side has been impressive. Hopefully, he can keep up his momentum.

Sergio Ramos: 8/10

When is there not a game that Sergio Ramos doesn’t catch the attention of many? Real Madrid’s stalwart captain once again did the extraordinary when he scored a bicycle kick in this game.

Yes, a center back who scores bicycle kicks. Oh, and he has more goals across his career than Andres Iniesta – impressive. 70 career goals for Real Madrid in all competitions. As well as that he also saw his back line keep a clean sheet. Not a bad outing for the captain, even if he did pick up a dumb yellow card.

Marcelo: 7.5/10

Alongside the rest of the back-line, Marcelo put in a solid all round performance.

He maintained a consistent attacking threat whilst putting in a shift defensively. He played in multiple good crosses and he also played some very good one-twos with team mates on the edge of the opposition area. With the Brazilian currently sitting out in league play for the next two games due to a suspension, the main hope will be for him to keep up his good form.

Midfielders

Casemiro: 8/10

Casemiro once again proved how key he is to this Real Madrid side. His defensive presence proved to shut APOEL out all game and his distribution was key in helping Real going forward.

Casemiro has been one of the most consistent performers for Real since his resigning. When you consider he is still very young, it is easy to see why he is so valued in Madrid. Tonight once again highlighted that.

Luka Modric: 7.5/10

Modric was another one of the better performers from tonight’s game. He seemed to be covering a monumental amount of ground as well as contributing on all facets. He drove forward as well helping out in breaking down any breaks from the opposition. The Croatian maestro continues his strong start to the campaign.

Toni Kroos: 8/10

Kroos was arguably the best player in Real Madrid’s midfield in this encounter. His tireless running, crisp passing and determined defending made him a consistent performer.

He laid on a fair few chances throughout and also kept the team ticking from his midfield berth. Kroos is currently enjoying a good start to the campaign, fans worldwide will hope his form continues.

Forwards

Isco: 7/10

This was perhaps one of Isco’s lesser games as of late. Despite being part of the build-up to the first goal, he didn’t contribute much else.

He had a few decent dribbles and passes but for the large part seemed a little lost in the shuffle. Though, this shouldn’t be a cause for concern. He still had a good performance, even if it wasn’t as productive as usual.

Gareth Bale: 8.5/10

This was perhaps Bale’s best performance in months. He notched two assists on the night and proved to be a real menace for APOEL consistently until his substitution.

His powerful cross for Ronaldo’s first and his play in for Ramos’ goal were both huge contributions. This was a definite much-needed performance for Bale in order to boost his confidence. If he can regain his belief in taking players on like he used to again, he could be a devastating weapon for Real.

Cristiano Ronaldo: 9/10

Cometh the hour, cometh the man – Ronaldo does it again.

How many times can we say it before it just becomes ordinary? Cristiano has shown that despite his 5 game ban, he is not slacking. He looked to be firing today. Despite not being at his complete brilliant best, Ronaldo was still the man to watch. His movement and positioning gave the Cypriot side all kinds of problems and his play with team-mates helped in shifting the ball across the final third. With one game left to serve on his ban, Real are eagerly awaiting the return of their talisman. They looked inspired with him leading the line which was no surprise. If he continues in this fashion then Real may be heading for yet another huge season.

Substitutes:

Dani Ceballos: 6/10

Ceballos got his first taste of Champions League football and of a game altogether this season. Coming on for Isco late in the game, he played in a few good passes and looked sharp when on the ball. His development this season will definitely be one to look out for.

Borja Mayoral: 6/10

Mayoral got his introduction late in the game following the substitution of Gareth Bale. He didn’t see much of the ball though he seemed to make a few decent moves. He did score a goal which was disallowed as a result of Ronaldo being offside.

Mateo Kovacic: N/A (replaced by Kroos)

Kovacic didn’t have much time to impose himself on the game as he pulled up hurt after making a pass. It was hard to tell whether it was serious or not but it didn’t seem to be. Madrid fans will be hoping it isn’t a long term injury as Kovacic has been in good form.

Next: Real Madrid have 12 players feature in the FIFA 18 player ratings top 100

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