Real Madrid conceded in just the second minute, but they ended up defeating fourth-place Real Sociedad convincingly.
Sergio Ramos made an uncharacteristic backpass in the second minute to gift Willian Jose the game’s first goal, and Real Madrid fans were worried that this could be another case of the cursed post-break blues for Los Blancos.
Instead, Madrid buckled down and dominated the rest of the game against Real Sociedad, thoroughly outplaying the underdogs in the second half. After slow starts, the likes of Fede Valverde and Luka Modric stepped up their games to their full potential, while Eden Hazard and Karim Benzema were unstoppable in the attack.
Real Madrid look like the best team in La Liga right now, even as they still jockey directly with FC Barcelona in the league table. They lost their streak of clean sheets due to Ramos’ early error, bu their defense has never been in question. Real showed that their attack is now operating on all cylinders, and this was an immensely satisfying win against a Sociedad team that strung together dangerous moves.
Sociedad were a legitimate threat, but Real turned them aside in front of the Santiago Bernabeu faithful on Saturday.
Here are full player ratings from Los Merengues’ satisfying victory.
GK Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Courtois continues his excellent run of form, as he’s more than answered the early-season critics. The Belgian goalkeeper made three big saves in this game, including one where he saved a sure-fire gaol. Courtois could do nothing for the chance that Sergio Ramos gifted to Willian Jose, whereas he bailed out Real on two occasions.
Fans need to be more quick to praise Courtois, who is back to his world-class level.
Rating: 7.0 out of 10
LB Ferland Mendy
Ferland Mendy was Real Madrid’s best player in the first 45 minutes and continues to stake his claim as one of the world’s best left backs. Sitting behind him is another world-class left back in the veteran Marcelo, whose attacking creativity is still valued greatly by the club.
But Mendy’s impenetrable defense makes him even more valuable to Real. He completely negated the threat of Portu in this game. Meanwhile, he has made massive strides in attack with each passing game. Mendy’s first touch looked better than before the break, and he sent in several dangerous crosses to the far post.
There are few fullbacks who are as intelligent off the ball as Mendy, who is never caught out and makes brilliant runs in attack. He and Eden Hazard are starting to show exceptional chemistry.
Rating: 8.0 out of 10
CB Sergio Ramos
Despite making an awful error in the second minute of the match, Sergio Ramos played well in this game. He’s been one of Europe’s better center backs this season, which is no surprise. Ramos’ leadership, efforts to get up the pitch, and reading of the game are all excellent. He became more cautious defensively after the early error, and Real were better off for it.
Rating: 6.0 out of 10
CB Raphael Varane
It’s important to never take Raphael Varane’s defensive work for granted. He is one of the absolute best defenders in the world right now and will be one of the best players of his generation when he retires. Varane’s composure on the ball and genius off it makes it easy to forget that he’s only 26 years old. The man is a natural leader.
Consider this another strong performance from Varane, who stood tall against one of La Liga’s most lethal attacks.
Rating: 7.0 out of 10
RB Dani Carvajal
Dani Carvajal was the only poor player on the pitch today. His first touch was woeful, his crosses were inaccurate, and he made some boneheaded decisions defensively. There was one sequence in the first half against Mikel Oyarzabal in which Carvajal angrily complained to the referee after making an obvious foul, was too slow to recover defensively, and then attempted to flop. These actions gave Oyarzabal a clear path to cross it into the box, and Thibaut Courtois had to make an exceptional save to deny a sure-fire 2-0 goal for Sociedad.
Carvajal is still an effective player, but performances like this are a reminder that he isn’t world class every week.
Rating: 4.5 out of 10
CM Casemiro
The Brazilian center midfielder, as per WhoScored.com, recorded four more tackles in this game. He had a tough assignment against Martin Odegaard, who was as sensational as he’s been all season. Still, this was another positive, hard-working display from Casemiro, who is the best defensive midfielder in the world right now.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
CM Fede Valverde
Although Fede Valverde started the game slowly, he finished with his second outside-the-box goal in his last two games and also added a pair of key passes. Valverde’s engine never stops, and he remains a crucial part of this Real Madrid side.
Rating: 7.0 out of 10
CM Luka Modric
What an exceptional performance from Luka Modric. He received criticism from fans for a slow start to the game, which included lackluster passing, low-energy movement, and shoddy defending. But by the end of the game, Modric was arguably the best player on the pitch, finishing the contest with two assists and a goal.
Taking this game and his last game against Eibar into consideration, Modric is back to being at his best, which is to say he’s back to being one of the best center midfielders in the world. Modric’s goal was a touch of class, as he scored off a slick volley to finish a deadly team move started by Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema.
Modric’s assist for Benzema’s goal was the result of a perfect free kick, which his hard work on the touchline won. And his second assist for Valverde stemmed from a delicate first touch.
Most impressively, Modric never stopped working hard and running, giving his all for the team. It looks like resting Toni Kroos before PSG was the right move after all. It’s great to see Modric playing this well, and his crucial intervention on Odegaard will also be remembered fondly by fans in the Bernabeu stands.
Rating: 8.0 out of 10
LW Eden Hazard
What more superlatives can be said about Eden Hazard? The man is a tank who never stops running on the ball. He is an incredibly hard worker in the attack, and he is flourishing, linking up with Mendy and Benzema to devastating effect.
Hazard won nine dribbles and drew seven fouls in another ridiculous display of individual quality, adding two shots on target and two key passes in the process. The Belgian consistently finds ways to create something out of nothing, and his burst of acceleration is special.
Rating: 8.0 out of 10
CF Karim Benzema
With a nod to Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, Benzema just might be the best striker in the world right now. He is certainly the most versatile when it comes to helping teammates and creating his own chances, as his full set of attacking skills were on display in this 3-1 win.
Benzema was unlucky not to finish with a third straight brace. His goal was the result of brilliant shoulder/chest technique to turn home Modric’s free kick, and he nearly added a second in the dying minutes of the match with a sharp shot from outside the box.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10
RW Rodrygo
Although Rodrygo had a more subdued performance and didn’t play as well as Gareth Bale did off the bench, he still had his moments. Rodrygo worked hard defensively and showed of his intelligence when linking up with Karim Benzema. Most 18-year-old wingers don’t have his vision.
Rating: 6.0 out of 10