Real Madrid managed to escape the Santiago Bernabeu with a second win over Shakhtar Donetsk in this year’s Champions League group stages, but they did not escape without getting whistled by the fans for a poor performance.
Here are the player ratings from a 2-1 win.
GK Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Courtois was one of the top performers for Real Madrid on Wednesday night. He made a huge one-on-one save and had a couple of other interventions to ensure Los Blancos would not drop points in their fourth Champions League fixture of the campaign. He could do nothing about the goal.
Rating: 7.5
LB Ferland Mendy
Tete is one of the best wingers in the entire competition, but he may have only gotten the better of the Frenchman once. Ferland Mendy picked up where he left off in his last match against Shakhtar, dominating the left flank defensively. That made up for his lack of offensive contribution.
Rating: 7.0
CB David Alaba
David Alaba had a solid game defensively. I’ve seen some people who clearly do not understand football (mostly envious Bayern Munich fans) blame Alaba for the goal Real Madrid conceded. In truth, he did well to even get himself into a position to make an intervention, seeing as how Eder Militao’s ball-watching left Alaba to defend two men at once. It was another composed display from the Austrian, who led the team with 92 attempted passes. Alaba is class.
Rating: 7.0
CB Eder Militao
Eder Militao had a mixed performance, highlighting how difficult it is to play center back. He was absolutely lights-out until he showed a lack of focus, leading to Shakhtar’s goal. Militao’s dangerous long ball led to the opener for Real Madrid, and he made some great plays in one-on-one defense. His overall play made up for a couple of mistakes, but those errors are a reminder that the young center back still needs to work on the little things. That will come with time.
Rating: 7.0
RB Dani Carvajal
Dani Carvajal was pretty poor in this match, which came as a surprise. On paper, he should have dominated. In reality, he was exposed defensively and was horrible offensively, offering absolutely nothing to the attack. I can’t remember a time when he took on someone or put a good ball into the box. It’s no wonder why he was subbed out in the 65th minute. It was a night to forget for the Spanish international, but he will surely bounce back soon.
Rating: 4.0
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
LW Vinicius Junior
The best player on the pitch. By far. He was the one running at the defense, carrying the ball, and creating chances. It’s only fitting he had the two assists, including one that he created out of thin air with his pressure. Vinicius Junior is operating at another level right now. You just can’t help but wonder how good this team would be if more of his teammates stepped up to the plate and played to their potential. He had five key passes and five dribbles completed. Toni Kroos and Luka Modric had two key passes combined. Let that sink in. Hell, he even led the team with four tackles!
Rating: 8.5
CF Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema asked to be subbed off with a potential injury, and Madridistas can only hope the No. 9 is OK. He scored both goals in this match, as he was in the right place at the right time to turn home Vinicius Junior’s passes. In truth, this wasn’t the best match from Benzema in terms of his influence, movement, or technical decision-making. For example, he went for a curler when the ball was too close to him, and he had a woeful first-half free kick. But Benz made it count when he needed to. That’s all that matters for strikers, at the end of the day.
Rating: 7.0
RW Lucas Vazquez
If Vinicius Junior was the best player on the pitch for Real Madrid by a wide margin, then Lucas Vazquez was in second. Some fans were puzzled he started over Eden Hazard, but he proved Carlo Ancelotti right. Vazquez had some brilliant combinations in this one, including an early sequence that should have led to a goal for Luka Modric. He defended with everything he had, too, which is why Ancelotti started him in the first place. A great all-around performance from him.
Rating: 7.5