Real Madrid were thoroughly outplayed in the first half, yet they were all square 1-1 thanks to a big stop from Thibaut Courtois and a bit of heads-up poaching from star striker Karim Benzema. Sevilla could have easily been ahead, but Real were doing just enough to hang on. And in the end, that’s all they needed to do in the second half, because their savior was coming.
Vinicius Junior scored what will go down as one of the most memorable goals of the 2021-2022 La Liga season, taking the ball off his chest, cutting inside, and smashing a shot that was too hot for Bono to handle.
Here are the player ratings from Real Madrid’s 2-1 triumph over Sevilla, one of the other title contenders in the league.
GK Thibaut Courtois
The headlines will deservingly go to Vinicius Junior, but nobody should be leaving out the heroics of goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. Time and time again, Courtois has made big saves at the end of matches, and he was there to save the day once more vs. Sevilla. Earlier in the match, he had an even bigger stop to deny the ever-threatening Rafa Mir his brace. There is not a keeper you’d rather have – nor one more clutch – than Courtois.
Rating: 8.0
LB Ferland Mendy
Ferland Mendy surprisingly led the team with six dribbles completed and was an important source of ball-carrying for Real Madrid. In truth, Mendy did not have the impact he should have due to a poor final ball, but he had another solid performance on the strength of his ball-carrying and defending. You know, the two areas in which he usually contributes positively to Real.
Rating: 7.0
CB David Alaba
David Alaba threatened with two shots from out of nowhere, with his second attempt being the closest. It was a volley from a set piece, and it was hit with wonderful technique off the inside of his trusty left foot, just skimming the roof of the net. Defensively, Alaba was Real’s top performer, clearing one shot off the line.
Rating: 7.5
CB Eder Militao
While Eder Militao had a couple of nice interventions and finished the match with a team-high three interceptions, three key passes, and seven clearances, he also had a few shaky moments defensively. Militao’s long passes lacked accuracy, and he may have been the one who left Rafa Mir unmarked for Sevilla’s goal. Still, defenders are too often judged by their mistakes. Militao’s hard shot from long range led to Benzema’s opener, and his clean-up defending was good, especially in the second half.
Rating: 7.0
RB Dani Carvajal
Dani Carvajal played well in the opposition half, but he was atrocious in his own half. The Spanish international made a number of errors, particularly on the ball. If it weren’t for Thibaut Courtois, Carvajal may have cost Los Blancos the match in the first half. After three tremendous performances at right back, Carvajal was clearly not at his best on Sunday. His cynical yellow card on Marcos Acuna summed up his day.
Rating: 3.5
CM Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos led Real Madrid in passes attempted, completing 11 of 12 long balls with two key passes. It was a tough match for the German international against the likes of Fernando and Joan Jordan in the Sevilla midfield – not to mention familiar foe and ex-Barcelona star Ivan Rakitic. Although Kroos was not as phenomenal as in recent matches, he still delivered a solid performance against his toughest opponent yet this season.
Rating: 7.0
DM Casemiro
As for Casemiro, this was a step back from the defensive midfielder. He worked hard and wasn’t bad, but he never looked comfortable. Casemiro had a nice pass for Marco Asensio that led to a shot and had a team-high three tackles, but he also made some errors with his defensive positioning. Sevilla had a field day with him in the first half before Case ultimately, like the rest of his teammates, settled down in the second stanza.
Rating: 5.0
CM Luka Modric
Luka Modric was one of the first two substitutes of the night, along with forward Marco Asensio. It’s not a good sign when a player is subbed first along with Asensio, and Modric, in truth, had a mediocre showing by his high standards. Modric was crisp on the ball and didn’t play poorly, but his performance lacked a certain edge to it. Madridistas expect a lot from the iconic midfielder, but he didn’t really deliver the goods at the Bernabeu on La Liga’s Matchday 15.
Rating: 5.0
LW Vinicius Junior
A standing ovation and chants throughout the Santiago Bernabeu. Vinicius Junior, the man of the hour once again. His winning goal was sublime. He took the first touch with his chest and started to cut inside, knowing exactly what he wanted to do. Smash the ball into the far corner with his right foot. And that is exactly what he did. Vinicius was swarmed by Sevilla players throughout the game and did not dominate as usual, but he never gave up. And in the end, the difference-maker made the difference. Beyond his goal, too, he made a number of important defensive interventions, showing the hard work he puts in despite being a superstar attacker.
Rating: 8.0
CF Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema had a solid match at the heart of the attack, even if his influence was not obvious on the stat sheet. The No. 9 did what a striker needs to do on the goal he scored, and, to be honest, we need to see more of that from all of Real Madrid’s forwards. Second-chance opportunities are huge. Beyond that, Benz’s work rate and link-up play were quite good. He was always trying to press the Sevilla center backs (and fullbacks) into errors, which became important as the second half wore on when Los Blancos were searching for the go-ahead goal.
Rating: 7.0
RW Marco Asensio
After a run of good performances, including a goal in last weekend’s win over Granada, Marco Asensio delivered a more subdued performance at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday night. Asensio had two good chances, one of which he worked for himself, but he was unable to hit the target on either occasion. The first chance really should have gone in. As a whole, Asensio had a subpar match, mostly because he just wasn’t involved with helping his teammates enough. Against a tough Sevilla side, Asensio was too much of a passenger. He could have made up for it by seizing on his two opportunities, but he failed to do so.
Rating: 5.0