Real Madrid 1 – 3 Juventus: Player ratings from the UCL second leg

WE MADE IT! After what was an anxiety attack inducing, self-soiling, voice losing, sweat soaking 90 minutes of complete suffering, Real Madrid saw off the comeback that Barcelona fell too (it’s still funny!) Los Blancos are through to the semifinals. Here are the player ratings from tonight’s game.

Keylor Navas: 6.5/10

Oh, Keylor, you can be such a beauty at times.

Like when you made some great saves early in this game. However, then you go and concede probably one of the most idiotic blunders ever seen and caused a period of self-soiling and a change of pants. All jokes aside, the Costa Rican kept Real in this tie with some marvelous saves, and for that, we are eternally grateful. Just please, work on those catches for the next round.

Dani Carvajal: 7.5/10

Despite being mismatched with guarding the far post against a man half a foot taller than him – Carvajal battled hard tonight. He marauded the right flank, keeping Alex Sandro quiet for the most part. The Spanish fullback also played in several great crosses and his general energy was a welcome addition to the very flat attack in this game.

Jesus Vallejo: 7/10

Considering his age and general lack of experience on a stage like this – Jesús Vallejo proved to be hard-nosed throughout the game. The Spanish center-back was an enforcer when called upon and made some solid interventions in the game. Whilst he still showed some moments of being a little rough around the edges, Real certainly has a diamond waiting to be molded.

Raphael Varane: 8.5/10

Rafa Varane is a beautiful man.

The French defender mopped up several loose balls, won so many areal duels that I lost count, and he may have lost brain cells (fun-fact you lose five per header), he hit the crossbar and made Juve striker Gonzalo Higuain irrelevant whenever he came up against him.

The fact that he is still under 25 and is already among the worlds best is something all Madrid fans should drool about. I do frequently.

Marcelo: 6.5/10

Okay, this is painful to do. I love Marcelo.

I think he’s the best left-back in Madrid history. But my god, he gave me panic attacks tonight. Two goals came down his side. He showed absolutely no defensive nous or effort to even close the attacks down. However, that in part comes down to the initial formation, when Zidane brought on Marco Asensio, Marcelo improved greatly and wasn’t so exposed like he was in the first half.

Zidane may wish to consider opting for more formations with wide players – it not only helps Carvajal and Marcelo but it balances the team better.