Real Madrid defeated Real Betis 1-0 at the Benito Villamarin on LaLiga’s Matchday 3 to continue their unbeaten start to the 2021-2022 season. Getting the full three points at the Benito Villamarin is not an easy task, so Los Blancos have to be commended for staying in the fight and winning without Luka Modric and Toni Kroos in midfield.
It was not a pretty game for Madrid, but they got the job done. It was Dani Carvajal who scored the all-important goal, finishing exquisitely from an unselfish Karim Benzema cross to the back post in what can be described as a reversal of roles.
Here are the player ratings from the narrow road win.
GK Thibaut Courtois
Captain clutch. Thibaut Courtois was not tested often by a Real Betis side that was surprisingly sloppy in the final third, but he came up big on multiple occasions. Courtois made one smart stop of a Nabil Fekir free kick early in the match, but his shining moment was definitely his save at the very last second to deny Betis an equalizer in front of their lively fans.
Rating: 7.5
LB Miguel Gutierrez
Miguel Gutierrez needed only a few games at the end of the 2020-2021 season to become a fan favorite among Madridistas, and he enhanced his reputation on Matchday 3 with David Alaba moving to the center back position in light of Nacho Fernandez’s injury. Miguel frustrated Betis to the point where they had multiple yellow cards, and he had some nice moments in the attack. But his highlight was his composure defensively, staying between two Betis attackers on a two-on-one counterattack. Miguel intercepted the ball, and Real Madrid got the winning goal at the other hand soon after.
Rating: 8.0
CB David Alaba
Although David Alaba had a couple of nervy moments, I thought he played well defensively. WhoScored.com credited him with three interceptions, as his pressing style of defense did pay off. And he made a couple of key interventions in his own penalty box. More will be expected from Alaba in terms of build-up play, but he did well in this clean sheet victory. He also nearly had an assist, but Rui Silva was exceptional in his alertness to sweep up the danger.
Rating: 6.5
CB Eder Militao
Eder Militao was culpable one-on-one in the final seconds of the match when Real Betis had a clear shot at Real Madrid’s goal, but that mistake should not sour how we feel about his display. The young Brazilian center back did well, bullying Betis defenders and making good decisions on the ball. He even had a volley on target. In total, Miltao had three tackles and two interceptions, and he completed nearly 90 percent of his passes.
Rating: 7.0
RB Dani Carvajal
Dani Carvajal was a game-changing sub against Levante, creating a goal-scoring chance with his defensive intervention. In this match at the Benito Villamarin, Carvajal started slowly and made a couple of dreadful giveaways in the first half that were uncharacteristic of him. But Carvajal more than grew into the game in the second 45, scoring the winner delightfully and providing much more solid defense for the team.
Rating: 7.5
CM Isco
Isco is not ideally a midfielder in a flat 4-3-3, because he can only do so much for you defensively. He is one of those guys who isn’t going to win the ball, so he has to do his best to run around and frustrate the player on the ball into making a mistake with the pass. Isco likes to dribble and take defenders on, which means that in midfield, he’s liable to getting tired with all the extra work he must do.
Therefore, Isco faded as the game wore on, though he was not as bad as some will have you think. He tried his best defensively and had some good moments on the ball, though the runs off the ball weren’t there from the forwards in the first half. Still, you’d expect more from a starter in the Real Madrid lineup, and perhaps Carlo Ancelotti will give him a run as a real No. 10 in the future.
Rating: 5.5
DM Casemiro
Casemiro had one of the best moments in the match with his slide tackle on Hernandez Hernandez. Not only did Madridistas enjoy seeing the much-maligned referee go down, but they also loved that it stopped a counterattack. Case was at his most intelligent defensively, though his attacking work was more mixed. Still, it was a good performance from the experienced defensive midfielder, who had four tackles and three dribbles completed. You may also be surprised at this, but he was accurate on 7 of 11 long balls.
Rating: 7.0
CM Fede Valverde
Like Isco, Fede Valverde was a little bit off for Real Madrid against Real Betis. Valverde had to do a lot of the dirty work in this one, as his attacking involvement was pretty minimal. But he adds so much solidity defensively, since the opposition knows they are dealing with someone with great closing speed and ball-winning. They will take fewer risks with Fede around, which helps Real’s back four.
Rating: 6.0
LW Vinicius Junior
The best Real Madrid forward in this match, Vinicius Junior did not add to his goal tally after a dream performance at Levante, but he did play a key role in the opener by carrying the ball and keeping it from going out of bounds with his pass back to Karim Benzema. “Hockey assist” aside, Vinicius was fouled three times and won a jaw-dropping seven dribbles against Betis’ defense. Defensively, he made some great interventions, including one that nearly led to a Karim goal – that he would have set up. Vini is having a stellar start to the season.
Rating: 8.0
CF Karim Benzema
Though Karim Benzema had a surprisingly slow start to the game, he eventually made his mark, as per usual, with the game-winning assist for right back Dani Carvajal. Benzema missed a good chance to start the match and was uncharacteristically absent in threatening areas. But by the time the second half rolled around, you knew he was close to breaking the deadlock. Only the Betis high line could stop him. Benzema did not score, but an assist to win the match means just as much to the French No. 9. He showed the most quality with his final ball in this one.
Rating: 7.5
RW Gareth Bale
After a good start to the season and an early goal against Levante, Gareth Bale took a step backwards against Real Betis. The Welshman looked tired and ineffectual on and off the ball. He was too slow to latch onto passes and was inactive when Real Madrid needed him to make more disruptive runs. Bale will have better days, but since he is also a “moments” player, we have to keep in mind that his performances will be more volatile this season than in years past. The key is, how many goals will he contribute to by the end of the season? Because that’s what he is here to do at this point.
Rating: 4.5