Although Real Madrid dropped points on LaLiga’s Matchday 2 against Levante, their 3-3 draw did not feel like a loss, which is usually the case when the ambitious Real is involved. And that’s because of the performances of Isco and Vinicius Junior in the first and second halves, respectively.
Isco turned back the clock on the ball and was even arduous defensively, as he looks motivated and effective under Carlo Ancelotti. Meanwhile, Vini was the true hero, scoring two fantastic goals, finishing with the composure he missed last season to rescue a point for Real Madrid.
There is plenty for Real to work on, particularly defensively, but Madridistas have to be quietly encouraged by what they have seen to start the season from Ancelotti. The cohesiveness and communication defensively will improve as the back four gets more experience with each other, and a fully healthy Dani Carvajal will help exponentially.
Here are the player ratings from Real Madrid’s 3-3 draw with the always-tricky Levante at the Estadio Ciutat de Valencia on Matchday 2 of the 2021-2022 LaLiga season.
GK Thibaut Courtois
You really cannot fault Thibaut Courtois for any of the goals he allowed to Levante. Even the first goal, which made him look awkward. Courtois was exposed by the positional errors of his defense.
Rating: 5.5
LB David Alaba
Although David Alaba played well offensively and had an absolutely genius, perfectly-timed pass to Karim Benzema in the build-up to Real Madrid’s opening goal, he was culpable defensively. Alaba made the key mistake for Levante’s third goal, and he could have done better on the second goal allowed. He gambles a lot when he presses, and it ends up leaving Nacho Fernandez exposed. That’s something for the world-class Austrian defender to work on going forward.
Rating: 5.5
CB Nacho Fernandez
After his masterclass against Deportivo Alaves, Nacho was a disappointment against Levante. He really should have done better on all three goals scored by the Frogs, especially since he is now the leader of the back four. Nacho was lights-out last season, but I think Madridistas know that, deep down, he could start to get exposed in 2021-2022.
Rating: 4.5
CB Eder Militao
Eder Militao made the mistake that led to Alaves’ penalty goal in the opening LaLiga contest of the season, but he made no such mistake against Levante. He was unlucky to have played a role in the concession of Levante’s first. According to WhoScored.com, the young Brazilian central defender had three tackles, three interceptions, and four clearances. It was a good day at the office despite the scoreline.
Rating: 7.0
RB Lucas Vazquez
Lucas Vazquez should not be scapegoated for the second goal, because Real Madrid only had two defenders in the box against three Levante players. What could he do? Still, Vazquez did have a subpar night, and the team was much, much better when Dani Carvajal entered the pitch for him in the second half. Vazquez works hard, but there are matches where he gets exposed for not being an actual right back. This was another one of those matches.
Rating: 4.0
CM Isco
With Toni Kroos and Luka Modric both injured, Isco got his first start of the 2021-2022 season and did not disappoint. In fact, Isco blew us all away, with many Madridistas commenting that Isco looked a lot like the player Carlo Ancelotti had at his disposal immediately after his incredible spell with Malaga.
And the magical Andalusian attacking midfielder was indeed spellbinding with the ball at his feet against Levante. Isco completed four dribbles and drew three fouls. He was active defensively with three tackles and many more ball recoveries. If he keeps this up, Real Madrid may not have as big of a depth problem in midfield as once feared.
Rating: 7.5
DM Casemiro
Casemiro worked hard for the team and pushed up into the attack when Los Blancos needed a goal. He had the assist of his life for Vinicius Junior’s first goal of the night and added three tackles to chip in with his typical defensive work.
Rating: 6.5
CM Fede Valverde
Fede Valverde can do a little bit of everything, and that’s the best way to describe how he played against Levante on Matchday 2. The young Uruguayan completed a pair of dribbles and had a pair of interceptions. We have seen more effective and robust performances from him, including last week at Alaves, but this was more decent work from the rising star.
Rating: 6.0
LW Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard’s stat sheet reads two key passes, two dribbles completed, and a 96 percent pass completion percentage. The Belgian did not have much of an influence on the proceedings, but he is helping the team with his touches and passes. Hazard is transitioning to a different role in Madrid, and that should be for the best in the long run.
Rating: 6.0
CF Karim Benzema
Once again, Karim Benzema was one of the best players on the pitch. After bagging an actual brace in last week’s four-goal haul against Alaves, Benzema had a brace of assists to show off his well-rounded play. The Real Madrid legend timed his run perfectly in the opening goal. Benzema was the man everyone else on the team looked towards in the box or in any situation where they needed someone to find the killer ball. He is their 9 and 10 wrapped up in one world-class attacker.
Rating: 7.5
RW Gareth Bale
Gareth Bale looked more intent on scoring than ever against Milan and even in the opening stages at Alaves. And he got his goal early in the match at Levante, sliding the ball past Aitor Fernandez after Karim Benzema’s cut back into the box. All Bale needs to do is be positive and chip in goals. That’s it. And that’s exactly what he did against the Frogs.
Rating: 7.0
LW Vinicius Junior
The best player on the pitch, even if he was only in the match for a little over a half-hour. Vinicius Junior scored the 2-2 equalizer with a no-nonsense, left-footed finish to the far post after carrying the ball halfway up the pitch on the counter. His composure and weak-footed accuracy were completely missing in the past two seasons, so this goal was a huge positive, just one week after scoring a scrappy one off the bench at Alaves.
And then Vini outdid himself with another equalizer, cheekily turning the ball in off the post from a tough angle. It was another composed finish from the high-class youngster, who has Madridistas over the moon that he may be fulfilling his limitless potential.
As if that weren’t enough, Vini also drew a red card from Aitor Fernandez on a clear-cut counter.
Rating: 9.5
RB Dani Carvajal
Dani Carvajal started the sequence for Vini’s first goal by reading a through ball perfectly, beating the Levante attacker in a test of strength, and making the right outlet pass in a tight space in his own corner. In that moment, Carvajal showed the world perfect right back play and reminded Madridistas of the vast gulf in class between himself and the rest. It was great to have him back.
Rating: 7.5
RW Rodrygo Goes
Rodrygo had a brilliant delivery from the right-hand side that was denied by a good save from Aitor, and it was his slipped pass to Vinicius that led to Aitor’s red card later on. Although Rodrygo is far more comfortable on the left, he still does a serviceable job when he comes in to get minutes on the opposite flank. He had two key passes in this 3-3 draw.
Rating: 6.5
CM Marco Asensio
The Marco Asensio experiment in midfield began on Matchday 2 with the Andalusian’s introduction off the bench. Asensio did not have much of an impact on the match, but he didn’t look totally out of his depth either. Baby steps.
Rating: 6.0