Real Madrid 3-1 PSG: Player Ratings from a legendary Karim Benzema performance
LW Vinicius Jr.
Yes, Vinicius Jr. botched a couple of great chances in the box, but he did so much good and really got the better of Achraf Hakimi after a disappointing first leg. You could tell Vini wanted to prove the world he is a star player and atone for his bad first match vs. PSG, especially for the fans at the Bernabeu whom he always wants to play for.
Vinicius had seven dribbles completed and four fouls drawn. PSG could not touch him, and they were very frustrated by his sill both in the beginning and at the end of the match. Just look at how he dusted Julian Draxler!
Rating: 8.0
CF Karim Benzema
My goodness, where do I begin? From the get-go, he was the most dangerous man on the pitch for Real Madrid, and, in the end, he bagged a hat-trick, carrying the day for his team. Benzema was ruthless in how he took his chances, and after being denied by a brilliant save from Gianluigi Donnarumma in the first half, he got sweet revenge on the Italian goalkeeper by pressuring him into a mistake that he later punished.
Benzema is one of the greatest Real Madrid players – nay, one of the greatest period – ever. What a way to go past another great, Alfredo Di Stefano, in the all-time chart!
Rating: 10, this performance meant EVERYTHING
RW Marco Asensio
Well, he was even worse in the second leg, to nobody’s surprise. My colleague Ben Sundock outlined why Rodrygo Goes should have started, calling it a “no-brainer”. Madridistas agreed wit him. Yet Carlo Ancelotti stuck with his favorite option. And the results were disastrous. So if starting Rodrygo was a no-brainer, what does this decision say about Ancelotti?
Anyway, Asensio was so bad at everything. His runs off the ball and his pressing were so clueless that I cannot fathom how a player this, quite frankly, unintelligent can be starting for Real Madrid. How has someone who has spent years playing professionally developed so little intuition about the game?
He holds his teammates back. He makes them worse. Look at how Dani Carvajal was hung out to dry by Asensio’s lethargic work rate. Asensio was the worst player on a team filled with great players. “But he brings goals!” Goals against mediocre teams that Real struggle against only because Asensio offers so little elsewhere.
His time in Madrid must be done. It must be. I cannot bear to write more of these ratings about Asensio or watch him flounder in big games. It is embarrassing for Real Madrid to field him as a starter. He is beneath the standard of the club and undermines the work of his teammates. It is no coincidence the comeback came when he was off the pitch, and that is the most damning indictment of how horrible Asensio is.
Rating: 0.0, I hope I never have to give a rating like this again
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RW Rodrygo Goes
Rodrygo Goes was a massive upgrade on Asensio and a game-changing sub in every sense. He did all the things as a runner, defender, and passer that Asensio was unwilling to do. Rodrygo took people on and fought hard for his teammates, supporting them whenever offensively or defensively. He is everything Asensio is not as a player, and I do not trust the opinions of anyone who calls themselves a Madridista and rates Asensio higher than Rodrygo. After watching this match, that would be akin to blasphemy.
Rating: 7.5