Real Madrid Player Ratings: Vinicius Junior the bright star in fortunate win vs. Shakhtar

CM Toni Kroos

Toni Kroos had a decent performance, though this wasn’t a spectacular outing for the German superstar. He had three tackles and three fouls drawn, in addition to completing 9 of 11 long balls and a little over 96 percent of his total passes. That said, you never got the feeling that he was truly in control of the game, as Carlo Ancelotti’s tactical decision to sit off did not suit Kroos’ strengths as a midfield general. And the same can be said for Luka Modric, who did not have a good day at the office.

Rating: 7.0

DM Casemiro

This is where we get into more of the low ratings. Like Dani Carvajal, Casemiro was another member of the old guard who struggled. He had some sloppy passes and was not nearly as effective as usual defensively. Casemiro made up for it with an excellent backheel to help set up Karim Benzema’s second goal, but this was a subpar, inconsistent performance from the starting defensive midfielder. Madridistas may be wondering when Eduardo Camavinga can take on more responsibility in a double-pivot, because Case looks liable to make more costly mistakes in the fuutre.

Rating: 5.0

CM Luka Modric

In truth, Luka Modric did not have a good game either. He really, really should have scored against Shakhtar, especially on that first chance. He wasn’t involved enough in attacks, and most of his passes were safe without leading to anything. Modric was not active defensively. He’s been playing well in recent fixtures, but he looked off the pace in this one. Had Modric played better, perhaps Real Madrid would have been more in control of this match. They really do rely on him significantly.

Rating: 5.0