It wasn't always pretty, but Real Madrid took care of business at home against Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16, prevailing 2-1. Here are the biggest stars and flops from another Champions League victory over the crosstown rivals.
Star: RB Fede Valverde
Fede Valverde came into El Derbi hobbled with an injury, but the team's most important player against Atletico Madrid once again rose to the occasion despite both being hurt and playing a position that isn't his preferred one.
There's a case to be made that Valverde has been one of the best right backs in LaLiga when playing the position this season, and he absolutely shut down that flank on Tuesday night. Valverde made four interceptions and didn't even have to put in a tackle, producing a monsterclass going both ways that would have made even Dani Carvajal proud - and perhaps a tad jealous.
Flop: CF Kylian Mbappe
It seemed like this just wasn't Kylian Mbappe's night. Surely, there won't be any overreactions about another disappointing night in the Champions League for Mbappe in a high-profile match, rolls eyes, but the reality is that even the great ones have an off night.
Mbappe's touch was shockingly poor, and perhaps no singular play more epitomized his struggles than a missed opportunity in the final minutes of the game. The Frenchman had Vinicius Junior wide open in the six-yard box for a simple low-cross/cutback, and Mbappe squandered the chance by both hesitating and then playing the pass too lightly.
It was a basic error from a great player who was filled with basic errors, and sometimes you just wonder if Mbappe lets the moment get the better of him in the Champions League knockouts.
Star: AM Brahim Diaz
On the other side of the coin, Brahim Diaz was absolutely brilliant, stepping back into the 10 role vacated by Jude Bellingham for his Champions League suspension and greatly improving from a dismal effort at the weekend in LaLiga vs. Real Betis.
It was night and day for the ex-Manchester City prospect against Madrid's city rivals, as Brahim scored the vital goal and was involved throughout. But what meant the most was seeing his effort on the defensive end, with a jaw-dropping, team-high seven combined tackles and interceptions as an attacking midfielder.
Brahim did the hard work that Jude usually does - and then some - in stark contrast to a Betis performance wherein he was overrun and maybe even a tad lazy. That was certainly not the case against Atleti.
Flop: CM Eduardo Camavinga
Overrun in midfield defensively and pretty much useless on the ball, Eduardo Camavinga has put together a string of highly disappointing performances that risk him falling further down the midfield pecking order when everyone is healthy.
You get the sense that Camavinga, while a solid player, is chronically underperforming on the magnificent upside he displayed in 2019/20 as a teenager that put him on the Real Madrid radar as a priority transfer target. Camavinga looks like a rotational player for Madrid, and while that's not a bad gig, he has to start doing more with the ball against high-level opponents if he wants to stick and become all that he is capable of becoming.
Star: DM Aurelien Tchouameni
The display against Real Betis is a mere blip on the radar of what has been an impressive comeback in recent weeks from Aurelien Tchouameni, who began the 2024/25 campaign under more pressure than what fellow midifelder Eduardo Camavinga is experiencing now.
This former Ligue 1 star really stepped up to the task on Tuesday night at the Bernabeu, picking up the slack that Camavinga left behind. No player on Real Madrid attempted more passes than Tchou, who bossed the base of the midfield. Tchouameni completed around 95 percent of those passes with a team-high three chances created and five combined tackles and interceptions. This was exactly the commanding, two-way performance Real Madrid needed from their 6 against Atleti.