Real Madrid did not make it look pretty out there, and they were actually outplayed on the road by the underdogs through the first 40 minutes. But an early Eder Militao goal, a second-half go-ahead strike from Marco Asensio, and a late goal from substitute Isco were enough to ensure Los Blancos exorcised their Alcoyano demons in the Round of 32 of the Copa del Rey.
Here are the player ratings from Real Madrid’s 3-1 win vs. Alcoyano on Wednesday night.
GK Andriy Lunin
Andriy Lunin was arguably the Man of the Match for Real Madrid. Alcoyano peppered his goal with shots throughout the first half, and they even tested him a few times in the second stanza. But Lunin was focused and almost always up to the task. He did give up one goal, but he got a hand to it and honestly could not have been expected to make the shot from such close range.
As a whole, this was a successful start for the young Ukrainian keeper, who does not get many opportunities with the best in the world in front of him.
Rating: 7.5
LB Marcelo
On the contrary, whereas Lunin had a great game, Marcelo was quite poor, especially in the first half. He was not accurate enough with his passes, completing under 75 percent of his attempts. Marcelo was too slow defensively and on counters. Like an anchor, Marcelo helps stabilize the squad with his experience, but he also weighs the team down. And it is his increasingly evident defensive liability that concerns Madridistas the most.
Rating: 4.0
CB David Alaba
After some more nervy moments to start the match, David Alaba settled back into form, bouncing back from a poor performance over the weekend at Getafe. Alaba wasn’t great, to be honest, but he competed for every ball over the top and had to do a lot of work to make up for Marcelo’s erratic defending.
Rating: 6.0
CB Eder Militao
Like last year, Eder Militao was the hero with his head. But unlike last year, his goal meant something in an eventual victory. Without that goal against the run of play in the first half, who knows if Real Madrid would have pulled out a victory at Alcoyano? Militao was the best defender on the pitch for Los Merengues – by some distance. Always willing to try the tough pass, he had one particularly lovely long ball for Rodrygo Goes. Militao had six clearances, four tackles, and three interceptions in a vital display.
Rating: 7.5
RB Nacho Fernandez
It’s hard to remember much of what Nacho did in this game. He isn’t a real right back, so he could not offer attacking threat to Real Madrid. Nacho’s ball security could have been better, as he lost possession nine times without making a meaningful impact on the ball.
Rating: 5.5