After the poor performance in Paris, only one change was made to the starting XI: Fede Valverde came in to rest Toni Kroos. After a very quiet first half, where the team felt unable to make any important movements, Real Madrid returned in the second 45 with new energy. In the 2nd half we had a Luka Modric who begin to show himself more and dictate the play. The team was moving more efficiently and were looking for a goal with more insistence.
However it still seemed difficult and individual skills were needed to overcome the opponent. Asensio opened the scoring with another cracking goal just to prove that in some moments you have to do something special to make it work. After Asensio’s goal, the dam was broken. The team could breathe without the pressure of needing a goal and Alaves crumbled. A beautiful combination of the attacking trio produced the 2nd goal from Vini and near the end it was Benzema who turned into goal a penalty kick earned from Vini. Starting XI player ratings below:
Thibaut Courtois: 6.5
Alaves mustered little to no threat with Courtois making a total of 2 saves. A quiet match for the Belgian.
Dani Carvajal: 6.0
Offensively, was a willing runner — constantly looking to make a run in behind the Alaves backline. Defensively, dealt with the threat provided by Luis Rioja on the counter and it was not an easy thing
Eder Militao: 8.0
Matched Casemiro with a league high of 14 recoveries in a single match this season. Proving more and more every day that he is one of the key players for this seasion.
David Alaba: 7.0
Managed well when battling with Joselu who is a physically imposing striker. Nearly found Benzema in the first half with a direct ball over the top.
Ferland Mendy: 5.0
Struggled in the final third with a number of poor crosses.
Casemiro: 6.5
It was a poor first half from Casemiro with a laissez faire attitude when in possession nearly costing the team on multiple occasions. Improved massively in the 2nd half — like the majority of the team — and finished the game with 2 key passes, 3 interceptions, 3 tackles and 3 clearances.
Luka Modric: 7.5
Very quiet in the first half, but was the pivotal difference maker in the 2nd half. Once Luka Modric began playing and dictating the flow of the match, Madrid began to play.
Fede Valverde: 7.0
Produced 2 key passes including 1 big chance created. Was one of the few bright spots in the first half, but failed to provide the final pass on a counter attack that stemmed from Fede’s high pressure and progressive carrying ability.
Vinicius Junior: 6.5
Like so much of the team, was nullified in the first half and produced a flat performance. Began finding more space in the 2nd half and eventually ended the game breaking his six game scoring-drought.
Marco Asensio: 7.0
After nearly gifting Alaves a goal, Marco Asensio turned around and scored yet another golazo. Provided the pre-assist after some intricate play between Asensio, Benzema, and ultimately ending in a Vinicius goal.
Karim Benzema: 7.0
Was relatively quiet for 70 minutes or so, but came alive at the end of the game producing a goal and two assists.
All five substitutions, Rodrygo, Marcelo, Ceballos, Hazard and Vasquez came in three different moments: the 82nd minute, the 85th minute, and the 87th minute. They helped maintain the result but did not have much time to show something special. No rating will be provided for them.
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