Real Madrid played out an entertaining, yet frustrating 2-2 draw against Elche. Los Blancos fell behind by two goals before a Luka Modric penalty in the 82nd minute and a stoppage-time Eder Militao header secured a point for the team.
It was an entertaining game from a neutral’s standpoint, but Real deserved a lot more than just a point, as they were the superior team, especially in the first half, and created a lot of chances that unfortunately didn’t go in.
Here are the player ratings.
GK Thibaut Courtois
Courtois literally didn’t have anything to do in the game. He wasn’t at fault for either of the goals, and apart from that he rarely saw the ball come towards him.
Rating: 6.0
LB Ferland Mendy
Mendy had a good game. I think he could’ve done a little better on the offensive end of the pitch, especially in the last few minutes where he played the ball to a covered Jovic when it should’ve been to a wide-open Vinicius Junior, and he could’ve given Pere Milla some contest in the build-up to the second goal, as he wasn’t being closed down while taking the shot. A good game otherwise, though, he dealt well with pressure, and had a bunch of good interventions.
Rating: 6.5
CB David Alaba
I wouldn’t call this a great game from David Alaba. Yes, he was tidy in possession and had an incredible pass to Karim Benzema in the first half, but apart from that, I don’t really think he did anything that well. He wasn’t even in the box in the build-up to the second goal, and lost Lucas Boye and let him have a free header in the first goal. Not great.
Rating: 5.0
CB Eder Militao
Militao was a mixed bag in the first half, but he improved in the second. He did make some mistakes, for sure, but I think that if it wasn’t for his frame and his will to make the most of the opportunity that he had received at the very end to equalise for Real Madrid, the team would’ve definitely lost. But, then again, you can’t really forget the mistakes he made, especially in the second goal, where he was sorely out of position, just like the rest of Real’s defense.
Rating: 7.0
RB Lucas Vazquez
Vazquez had a bunch of defensive interventions, and had a few really good opportunities to cross the ball, especially in the first half. He was on the receiving end of so many cross-field switches from Toni Kroos. However, he struggled to deal with Elche’s left side because of a lack of defensive coverage from Eden Hazard. He constantly found himself up against two players, and he did what he could, is what I would say.
Rating: 6.5
CM Toni Kroos
Kroos was one of Real Madrid’s best players in the first half. He had a brilliant free-kick saved, another close call from outside the box, he created so many chances, found Vazquez on the overlap so many times. Weirdly enough, he was subbed off in the 64th minute, without any sign of injury or anything. It was a weird substitution, but he did slow down a bit in the second half. Ancelotti completely changed the team’s system with the Kroos substitution, given Karim Benzema’s injury. Makes sense now that I think about it.
Rating: 6.5
DM Casemiro
Casemiro was good. I can’t blame him for trying some passes that he did because most of them worked out fine. Some of them didn’t, and they resulted in turnovers, but that’s what you get from Casemiro. Besides, he was just very, very important defensively. Yes, he got beaten easily by a turn in the build-up to the second goal, but apart from that, he had a team-high five tackles won, and one interception, and he also hit the post on the other end of the pitch.
Rating: 7.5
CM Luka Modric
Modric had a slow first half. Some of his passes – especially at the start – didn’t really end up where he wanted it. He looked a little slow, but as the game went on, he started creating some chances. And then, he immediately took responsibility in the second half. He was one of the best players on the team, and without Karim Benzema, he stepped up and took the penalty that brought Real Madrid back into the game. He created many chances towards the end of the second half, and you can see why he was the one wearing the captain’s armband at the end. He’s insanely good, even at this age, and fully deserves his inevitable contract extension.
Rating: 8.0
LW Vinicius Jr.
Vinicius Jr. was mesmerizing in the first half. He broke free so many times, dribbled past so many Elche players – a total of six dribbles completed and four key passes. He lost the ball sometimes, but at the end of the day, a lot of responsibility was on his shoulders, and he delivered. The Brazilian had a beautiful cross to Militao for the equaliser. This guy is not even at his peak, and it is scary how good he is and how much responsibility he’s shouldering week in, week out. Even at this young age, he just keeps on delivering. Yet another fantastic performance.
Rating: 8.5
CF Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema had a good, but unlucky first half. He may not have ended up on the scoresheet, but he was at the receiving end of so many passes from the midfield and defense. He was a bit unlucky to not score, because he really had a bunch of great chances. Of course, some of his shots weren’t as good as they could’ve been, and his penalty could’ve been a lot better (his first penalty miss in a Real Madrid jersey, by the way), but I think that if it wasn’t for his injury, Real Madrid would’ve won the game. I can’t give him a high rating though, because of so many misses.
Rating: 6.0
RW Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard started on the right, but he was really all over the attacking third. He went towards the left to combine with Vinicius, he was trying his best to get past players. He completed one dribble and had two key passes. Some of his off-ball movement really opened up space for other players, especially after he was switched to a free-role to link the attack and the midfield. He also could’ve made a few better decisions, and could’ve taken a couple of shots.
Rating: 6.5
ST Luka Jovic
Another wasted opportunity for Luka Jovic. He had a few decent touches, and got out of tough situations through his dribbling skills, but apart from that, he didn’t do anything. He had more than 30 minutes to make his mark, and he failed, again.
Rating: 4.0