Real Madrid may have lost to Chelsea 2-3 at the Santiago Bernabeu, but they won the war, moving ahead 5-4 in the Champions League quarterfinal tie after magical moments from Luka Modric, Rodrygo Goes, Karim Benzema, and Vinicius Jr. It was another special night at the Santiago Bernabeu from the Merengues, who looked dead in the water at one point in the second half, down 3-0, before finding the two late goals they needed.
Here are the player ratings from Real Madrid’s hard-fought second leg battle at the Bernabeu against Chelsea.
GK Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Courtois was put to the ultimate test against Chelsea’s press, with Thomas Tuchel looking to keep the former Blues’ goalkeeper on his toes. But Courtois never made any mistakes, which must be highlighted. Keepers get blasted for making mistakes, but they must be praised heavily when they are able to play a clean game on the ball.
Rating: 7.0
LB Ferland Mendy
He was lucky not to have conceded the third himself with an embarrassing giveaway. There are times when Ferland Mendy does not even look like a professional footballer with how little technical ability he has. He is so clumsy on the ball that when Real Madrid are on the attack, all he can do is stand still or pass backward. And off the ball, his runs make no sense now, providing no support or options for Vinicius Jr. if the latter is actually on the ball.
It is time for Real Madrid to consider a new left back this summer. And surely, Miguel Gutierrez cannot be worse than this. An absolutely useless performance from Mendy.
Rating: 3.0
CB David Alaba
David Alaba deserves a hearty applause for his performance. It is so, so easy to underrate what he does, but we have seen how much he is missed on the rare occasion he has not played this season. Without Eder Militao, Alaba was under so much stress, especially when he was defending with Dani Carvajal as his center back partner.
But Alaba took care of business. He made so many critical blocks and clearances, getting in the way of plays to stop them from developing into something more dangerous. Alaba makes so many interventions without even actually touching the ball. How many times have we said this? That is the hallmark of a great defender.
Rating: 8.5
CB Nacho Fernandez
Although Nacho Fernandez did not play well either, stepping out too aggressively twice in repeat mistakes of his awful errors at the beginning of the season as a starter, it was a tough blow to see him leave injured. Because it meant Dani Carvajal had to move to center back – not that he has been defending well enough as a right back.
Rating: 4.5
RB Dani Carvajal
While Dani Carvajal had his struggles at times in this match, perhaps being culpable on the first goal by Mason Mount. But he redeemed himself in the end, even after all of the sloppy passes and the mistakes. Because in the end, he did not make a critical mistake even in an unfamiliar position at center back, when his team needed him the most.
Rating: 6.0