Real Madrid: Player Ratings from 0-1 win against Athletic Club

Real Madrid kept their La Liga title hopes alive with a narrow 0 – 1 victory against Athletic Club at San Mames with one matchday to go. With the win, Los Blancos, with 81 points, is still two points behind leaders Atletico Madrid at 83 points.

Zinedine Zidane’s team struggled to create a clear opening in the first half, but a goal from Nacho Fernandez in the second half was enough to earn them the three points.

Here is how the Real Madrid players performed.

Thibaut Courtois – 7.5/10

Courtois was, as usual, his confident best in front of the sticks. He never looked to be in trouble.

Alvaro Odriozola – 8/10

Odriozola put on an impressive performance in line with his recent turnaround. He tracked back well and made a vital interception to deny Athletic on the counter. He was also constantly involved on the attacking side and looked dangerous on the overlaps.

Eder Militao – 7.5/10

Militao had another stalwart defensive showing. He had the better of Inaki Willaims all night. The Brazillian got his positioning spot on and did not let the Basque club threaten Real Madrid’s goal often.

Nacho Fernandez – 8.5/10

Nacho was good in defense with four clearances and two interceptions. He also scored the Real Madrid’s winner to keep their title hopes alive.

Miguel Gutierrez – 8/10

Miguel Gutierrez is such a promising young left-back. He oozes confidence and looks like he can be a top player for Real Madrid for years to come. The Castilla product completed 89 percent of his passes and had four dribbles in the match, per Whoscored.com. He was defensively sound and had a great positional sense.

Casemiro – 6.5/10

All the minutes Casemiro has played since last season seem to have caught up to him. He has had underwhelming last few games and looked lethargic at times. He did have a header bounced out of the crossbar and assisted for Real Madrid’s game-winner.

Luka Modric – 8.5/10

Luka Modric had an incredible game. He controlled the tempo throughout and dictated the state of the match. Real Madrid’s number 10 completed 83 passes at 94 percent accuracy, 14 of 16 long balls, made four keys passes, and created one big chance.

He also won six duels, three tackles, two interceptions, and one clearance. It was an all-around performance by the Croatian Ballon D’or winner.

Fede Valverde – 7/10

Valverde struggled to put his stamp on the game in the first half. He was not involved much in the areas where he would be the most effective. The Uruguayan improved in the second half and helped Los Blancos up their intensity and push for the winner.

Rodrygo Goes – 6/10

Rodrygo worked hard, but he was not as effective in the attacking third. He helped Real Madrid keep the attack alive on multiple occasions. However, his productivity was lacking.

Vinicius Junior – 6.5/10

Vinicius had a slow start to the game but picked up the pace and created some danger. He completed four dribbles and won six duels. However, his decision-making in the final third let him down once again.

Karim Benzema – 7/10

Benzema linked up play well and dropped in to help Real Madrid create attacking sequences. However, it took away his presence in the box and goal-scoring threat.

Substitutions

Marco Asensio – 6/10

Asensio only had 26 touches in the game. He helped Real Madrid close out the game.

Eden Hazard – N/A

Hazard played the last 14 minutes of the match.