Player Ratings: Alavés 1-4 Real Madrid – 2021/22

Two goals from Karim Benzema and goals from Nacho and Vinicius earned Real Madrid a 4-1 win over Alavés at the Mendizorroza to start the 2021/22 season in style.

Karim Benzema broke the deadlock just three minutes after half-time as he opened his account for the season following a brilliant flick from Eden Hazard. Nacho then doubled Real Madrid’s lead with a tidy finish following a short corner. Los Blancos kept going and managed to score a third. Fede Valverde ran through the heart of Alavés’ defence before finding Benzema who scored with his second attempt.

Joselu pulled a goal back from the penalty spot after Thibaut Courtois had brought down John Gudetti. Real Madrid were not done scoring yet as Vinicius converted a cross from Alaba to make it 4-1. Carlo Ancelotti will no doubt be delighted with his team’s performance, especially in the second-half. Our player ratings:

Starting XI:

Thibaut Courtois: 7/10

A relatively quiet night for the big Belgian on his 100th LaLiga appearance for Real Madrid. Courtois gave away the penalty which led to Alavés’ goal after a lax backpass from Militao. Not much that he could do to save the penalty.

Lucas Vazquez: 7/10

Eder Militao: 6/10

Started the game well but looked shaky as time went on. The Brazilian looked too relaxed on the ball at times and that resulted in him making the mistake which led to the penalty for Alavés. Not his best performance.

Nacho: 8.5/10

Brilliant performance from the ever reliable Spaniard. Nacho made a number of key interceptions at the back and was solid defensively throughout the 90 minutes. Nacho topped off his performance with a well deserved goal.

David Alaba: 7.5/10

Fede Valverde: 7.5/10

Casemiro: 7/10

A mixed bag. The Brazilian was sloppy on the ball at times but did make the most tackles out of any Madrid player on the pitch.

Luka Modric: 8/10

Another splendid performance. The Croatian has started his 10th season at Real Madrid and still looks to be at the peak of his powers. Assisted Nacho’s goal with a great cross following a short corner.

Gareth Bale: 7/10

Karim Benzema: 9/10

Eden Hazard: 8.5/10

Substitutions:

Vinicius Jr: 7.5/10 – Came on to replace Hazard. The Brazilian was lively throughout his time on the pitch and managed to score the team’s fourth goal of the night.

Rodrygo: 6.5/10 – Came on to replace Bale with 20 minutes to go. The Brazilian didn’t see much of the ball but looked sharp when he was found by his teammates.

Luka Jovic: N/A – Late substitute.

Marco Asensio: N/A – Late substitute.

Isco: N/A – Late substitute.