Following Real Madrid’s 2-1 defeat to Atletico de Madrid, Realmadridnews.com has rated the players’ performances. Let us know what you think.
Diego Lopez: 6/10. A largely solid performance, he made a couple of excellent saves in a one-on-one situation. Could perhaps have done better at dealing with the cross that lead to Miranda’s winner.
Michael Essien: 7/10. Not a natural right back but his energy was key in preventing Atletico from threatening more down the left hand side. Made a couple of last-ditch tackles and offered support while Real were going forward.
Sergio Ramos: 7/10. Led the line well and was in the right place on numerous occasions to cut out Atletico crosses. Perhaps not as comfortable playing with Raul Albiol as with other defensive options, but a solid showing overall.
Raul Albiol: 6/10. The weakest man in the Real defence. Stepped up too soon allowing Diego Costa time and space to fire past Lopez. Needed to be at his best, and wasn’t.
Fabio Coentrao: 6/10. Made some decent challenges early on, but Atletico clearly targeted his poor positioning. Wisely got taken off before he lost his temper.
Xabi Alonso: 6/10. A vey quiet game by his own high standards. Was unable to dictate the play in the centre of the park and perhaps had more defensive work to do than he would have liked.
Sami Khedira: 7/10. Made four vital interceptions throughout the match that could have led to Atletico winning the game with the 90 minutes. Provided excellent defensive cover and never stopped running.
Luka Modric: 7/10. Started brightly and always looked dangerous. Made some nice passes and got himself into some decent positions in and around the box. Faded as the second half wore on and was taken off.
Mezut Ozil: 8/10. Madrid’s best player on the night and very unlucky not to get on the scoresheet on two occasions. His corner led to Madrid’s goal, and he looked a threat all evening.
Cristiano Ronaldo: 6/10. His header for the goal was fantastic, as was the freekick that hit the post. Other than that he did very little. Frustrated by poor showing, he lost his temper and got his marching orders for kicking out at Gabi.
Karim Benzema: 5/10. Largely invisible throughout the match and offered no support to his team mates. Only contribution was hitting the post with an effort. Real fans must be wondering what happened to the Benzema of last year.
Substitutes:
Gonzalo Higuain: 6/10. More lively than Benzema when he eventually emerged from the bench. Had a wonderful opportunity to score early in extra time but placed his volley straight at Courtois in the Atletico goal.
Angel di Maria: 6/10. Should have come on sooner. His pace and trickery would have caused Atletico no end of problems. Didn’t have enough time to make a mark as it was.
Alvaro Arbeloa: 6/10. Came on for the ill-tempered Coentrao and put in a solid if unspectacular shift.
