Real Madrid did not make it look easy. In fact, many Madridistas had assumed they were going to lose when Elche scored off a deflection after a free kick, which was the result of a last-ditch red card from Marcelo.
But as they so often do, Los Blancos ended up finding a way to get the win, picking up all three points with two even later goals from Isco and Eden Hazard for a 2-1 win in the Copa del Rey. Unlike so many others, Real did not fall victim to a cup upset and are through to the quarterfinals, where they await their next opponent.
Here are the player ratings from Real’s victory.
GK Andriy Lunin
He could do nothing about the deflected goal but had another big save in this one, which kept Real Madrid from being eliminated.
Rating: 7.0
LB Marcelo
Marcelo turned back the years with a nutmeg and had some bright moments offensively, but he had the two worst moments of the match defensively. The first was a comical play in which he went to ground and nearly gifted Elche a goal. And the second was the red card, which was the result of his own lack of pace and poor positional play. So many players are able to remain effective defenders into their 30’s despite losing speed, but Marcelo is not one of them. He is not a capable defender, nor is he really willing.
Rating: 3.0
CB David Alaba
This was another game Real Madrid would not have won without David Alaba, as he has become a must-start on the level of the midfielders, Karim Benzema, and Vinicius Jr. in the outfield. He completed 94 percent of his passes at Elche, with no single pass being more important than his ball to Eden Hazard for the winning goal. His quick thinking and willingness to hit the home-run ball can make all the difference.
Rating: 7.5
CB Nacho Fernandez
Nacho blocked a couple of shots and was accurate with his passing, but he did not stand out in any meaningful way against Elche. He is just here to be a veteran backup, and now that his purple patch from 2020-2021 is over, Madridistas are beginning to see that he really isn’t good enough to be a third-choice CB for this side.
Rating: 5.5
RB Lucas Vazquez
After a string of positive performances to bounce back from an awful December, Lucas Vazquez slid back to his old habits with some very sloppy play offensively. I had no idea where he was trying to direct his crosses at times. Vazquez put in a lot of hard work, but he lost the ball far too often to receive a positive rating.
Rating: 4.5
CM Toni Kroos
Toni Kroos started in order to help Real Madrid find quality in the final third, and he did a great job of making sure Los Blancos were always effective in their build-up play. Beyond that, he couldn’t really impact the game against Elche’s defense. His 90 minutes were solid enough, but, in truth, we have seen better performances from the world-class No. 8. Even on a mediocre day by his standards, though, he was still above average.
Rating: 7.0
DM Eduardo Camavinga
Many Madridistas were surprised to see Eduardo Camavinga come off the pitch, because he was the team’s best player alongside fellow young star Vinicius Jr. Camavinga was in the “6” role with Casemiro rested, but he ceded his responsibilities to the Brazilian in the second stanza.
Active as ever, Camavinga came close to scoring with a couple of strikes and was always willing to push the ball forward. Fans want to see more of that attacking intent from the Frenchman, who has the quality to be the best No. 8 in the world one day, albeit a different kind of 8 than the current Madrid man donning the kit number.
Rating: 7.5
CM Fede Valverde
He was so invisible that I almost forgot to rate him. Fede Valverde is a good player, but if you did not watch him in the previous two seasons, you’d be forgiven for wondering why he is so highly rated by Real Madrid fans. Valverde is great at carrying and recovering the ball, but he has not progressed in other areas. Against Elche, those other aspects of his game were called into question by the defending team, and Valverde did not answer them, offering only tame recycling of the ball.
Rating: 4.0
DM Casemiro
Casemiro came onto the pitch for about 48 minutes, and it’s puzzling why. He was not an upgrade on Eduardo Camavinga in any sense, as he made poor passes and was not even a defensive upgrade. In a game in which Real Madrid were chasing a goal, Carlo Ancelotti is fortunate that other players stepped up. Because Casemiro did not.
Rating: 5.0
CM Luka Modric
Luka Modric entered the pitch at the same time as Casemiro and was more effective than his long-time midfield partner. The Croatian completed a little over 90 percent of his passes and injected real quality into a right side of the formation that was embarrassing itself for much of the match. Modric had an exquisite key pass with a backheel, which Vinicius Jr. could only direct weakly into the arms of the keeper.
Rating: 7.0
CM Dani Ceballos
A positive cameo from the former Real Betis man. I do not know what the future holds for Dani Ceballos, but he can be a quality player for someone. If he builds on this appearance off the bench, perhaps that can be with Real Madrid.
Rating: 6.5
LW Vinicius Jr.
Vinicius Jr.’s performance deserved to be on the side of a team that scored three goals, as opposed to a side that could not muster one in over 100 minutes. The left winger was electrifying on the ball, making dribbles that would be all over the highlight reels in any other setting.
He was let down badly by many of his teammates. Marcelo’s support was too slow at times, Luka Jovic was horrendous, and Rodrygo Goes seemed to have his head in the clouds in the final third.
Of course, Vini was not perfect himself, as his shooting was sub-standard. Still, he was the best player on the pitch, offering three key passes and a jaw-dropping nine dribbles completed on an evening when little else was created by his teammates.
Rating: 8.0
ST Luka Jovic
I cannot help but light into Luka Jovic’s performance. His positioning and awareness were of a player far below the level of Real Madrid, and do not get me started on how lethargic he looked in transitions, taking poor angles that gave Vinicius Jr. and his teammates no hope of finding him. This was a self-centered, meandering performance from Jovic when Karim Benzema was not in the squad, a sign of trust from Carlo Ancelotti.
Jovic has taken on the responsibility successfully before this season, including in huge matches against Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid. But against Elche in the Copa del Rey, Jovic offered zero. Anyone interested in acquiring him probably knocked him a few spots off their list after watching this performance. It was everything you do not want to see from a striker.
RW Rodrygo Goes
I have a lot of love for Rodrygo Goes, but he is never going to fulfill his potential on the right side of the formation. That whole side was non-existent for much of the match, and while Rodrygo does not shoulder the blame for this alone, it is ultimately his responsibility as the forward.
Rodrygo had no end product and lost possession too easily (18 times in total). He had one highlight-reel dribble from his own half, but remember what he did after dribbling past the Elche players? He made a square pass behind the midfielder, completely negating any of the momentum his fleet feet may have gained. That is amateur stuff and is far more important than skill.
We can have high hopes for Rodrygo, but we have to be honest. He seems to take a step back every time he takes a step forward.
Rating: 4.5
CF Isco
The man of the hour. After scoring a decisive goal against Alcoyano in the first Copa del Rey match, Isco scored the equalizer with aplomb at Elche, backheeling Dani Ceballos’ strike to leave the keeper beaten all ends up. Aside from that excellent, clutch goal, the forme Malaga magician was smart and accurate with his passing. He did not make any mistakes and was always positive, coming up big when his team needed him most. What more can you ask?
Rating: 7.5
FW Eden Hazard
Hopefully, Eden Hazard’s matchwinner against Elche is a lightbulb moment for a man who is mired in transfer rumors again. Every Madridista knows what Hazard can do with health and confidence. He has the former now, but the latter still escapes him. After a poor performance against Alcoyano in which he was afraid to even take on a third-tier team’s defense, Hazard showed no fear in a do-or-die situation for Real Madrid at Elche.
The high-priced No. 7 showed his quality with an aggressive run off the ball. He then latched onto David Alaba’s perfect pass and made no mistake, punishing Elche’s overly-eager keeper with a Chelsea-esque finish. More of that, please. And maybe this matchwinner, this heroic moment, will help Hazard push past the mental block that has seemingly been in place since his first injury against PSG in 2019.
Rating: 7.5