Real Madrid faced Inter Milan at the San Siro on Wednesday night in their first group stage match of the 2021-2022 Champions League campaign. The match looked like a difficult one for Real at first, as they were outplayed in the first half. But in the second, they started to make headway behind Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior’s attacking runs.
In the end, it was an assist off the bench from the weekend’s hero Eduardo Camavinga, who set up Rodrygo Goes expertly. And Rodrygo’s finish was as cool as you’d like, as he broke Inter hearts for a second Champions League campaign running.
Here are the player ratings from Real Madrid’s 1-0 win over Inter.
GK Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Courtois was the consensus Man of the Match for Real Madrid on Matchday 1 of the Champions League. We all know how vital the Belgian is to Real, and he showed it in this one, making a handful of saves to keep Madrid in it. How many times has he done this? Making a series of saves early in the match that enable Real to win the three points later on.
Rating: 9.5
CM Eduardo Camavinga
Eduardo Camavinga does it again. After his debut goal off the bench against Celta Vigo, Camavinga picked up his first assist in a Real Madrid kit in just his second appearance. The move he made off the ball was a stroke of genius, as was his assisting touch to Rodrygo Goes. Talk about making an impact off the bench. It is a blessing to have Camavinga in Madrid.
Rating: 7.5
RW Rodrygo Goes
Rodrygo Goes is no stranger to being an impact sub, balling out in the Champions League, or making a clutch play. He did all three things with one touch, showing his cool head in front of goal with the game-winning finish. It was the kind of goal that makes you wonder if Rodrygo could play striker in a pinch. Even before the goal, the right winger helped Real Madrid’s attack a lot more than Lucas Vazquez did.
Rating: 7.5
LB Nacho Fernandez
Nacho Fernandez got physical with Matteo Darmian and the Inter players. It was a little bizarre to see him line up at left back, but he acquitted himself better defensively than he did over the weekend against Celta Vigo, in which he produced a nightmarish first half. I thought he played well in this match. WhoScored.com recorded him with a passing accuracy percentage of 94 and two key passes, to go with four clearances.
Rating: 6.5
CB David Alaba
David Alaba had a tough matchup against Edin Dzeko in terms of physicality, but he held up well against one of the biggest target men in the game. The Austrian used his veteran know-how and made some crucial blocks for Real Madrid in this clean sheet victory. His passing range is an asset to the team, too.
Rating: 7.5
CB Eder Militao
Eder Militao had a strong game in central defense, too, bouncing back after some Madridistas asked questions of his consistency against Celta Vigo. The Brazilian defender had four tackles, four clearances, and three blocked shots. He was so lights out against Lautaro Martinez that the Argentine was hardly noticeable as the game wore on.
Rating: 8.5
RB Dani Carvajal
Dani Carvajal put in a LOT of work in this one. The Spanish right back completed about 90 percent of his passes, making a ton of ball recoveries. His crossing was genuinely good, though he could not find players on the end of his attempts.
Rating: 7.0
CM Fede Valverde
Fede Valverde is the epitome of a high-engine midfielder. The Uruguayan did not offer enough attacking-wise, and he would have had an assist if his passing in the final third were sharper. But still, he had a very good match, particularly defensively. His work rate was important, including when dealing with the talented Nicolo Barella.
Rating: 7.0
DM Casemiro
Casemiro was a mixed bag offensively again, though he provided more benefits than drawbacks, save for the times when he was forced out wide. Defensively, he was vital, especially when countering the toughness of Marcelo Brozovic in the Nerazzurri midfield. The Brazilian standout is easy to take for granted, but Madridistas certainly noticed his two tackles and four interceptions.
Rating: 8.0
CM Luka Modric
Luka Modric had a quiet night, but he was still decent. He received an appreciative applause from the San Siro, as he did this past weekend in his return to the Santiago Bernabeu. Though at times, it was a fatigued performance from the Croatian legend. Modric was classy with his passing, but this wasn’t the game for him. He did not exert enough control on the proceedings and struggled defensively. Even so, he wasn’t bad. When he is below his standards, he is merely average. And that says a lot about his quality.
Rating: 6.5
LW Vinicius Junior
Excellent stuff once more from Vini. The Brazilian winger has been on fire to start the season. He scored this past weekend and was two amazing blocks away from finding the winner on Wednesday night at the San Siro. He was nonstop on the ball, winning so many take-ons. Vinicius is brimming with confidence, and it always seemed like he could create something out of nothing.
Rating: 7.5
CF Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema was better than you might think when looking at the box score. He put in a lot of work dropping deep to pull the strings, but some of the midfielders could have done a better job of making those attacking runs…or done a better job with their passing into the penalty box. Karim is like Lukita. When he is a little off, he’s still quite good.
Rating: 6.5
RW Lucas Vazquez
Lucas Vazquez was the only player in the Real Madrid XI who performed poorly. He had a lot of sloppy giveaways and didn’t add anything to the attack. It was a quizzical decision to start him. That said, Vazquez did a good job of contributing defensively with four tackles, so it was not all bad from him. Yet Madridistas were correct in their surprise at Vazquez starting this match. It was a mistake from Ancelotti that was rectified later with Rodrygo’s inclusion off the bench.
Rating: 4.5