Player Ratings: Levante 3-3 Real Madrid – 2021/22
And breathe! A late Vinicius double salvages a point for Real Madrid following Gareth Bale’s first-half opener.
Gareth Bale opened the scoring for Carlo Ancelotti’s side inside five minutes after some wonderful play from Benzema down the left flank. Real Madrid were very dominant in the first-half and should have had more goals to their name but only managed to lead 1-0 at the break. Immediately after the restart, Los Blancos’ failure to capitalise on their opportunities came back to haunt them with Levante striking twice in quick succession to take the lead.
Vinicius Junior equalised for Real Madrid to make it 2-2 before Rober Pier restored the hosts lead. With just under five minutes to go, Vinicius equalised yet again to make it 3-3. The madness did not stop there as Levante were reduced to 10 men with two minutes left after Aitor Fernandez handled the ball outside his 18 yard box. Real Madrid failed to test Ruben Vezo, Levante’s centre-back turned goalkeeper, and were made to settle for a draw. Our player ratings:
Starting XI:
Thibaut Courtois: 6/10
Not the best of performances but Courtois was not helped out by his teams defending tonight. The Belgian should have done better with Levante’s opener but can’t be blamed for the other two goals.
Lucas Vazquez: 5/10
Eder Militao: 6/10
A relatively decent performance from the Brazilian despite looking to have picked up a knock in the first-half. Militao showed great strength in dealing with Morales but will be disappointed with his involvement in Levante’s first goal.
Nacho: 6.5/10
After years of being a bench player, Nacho has finally established himself in Real Madrid’s starting XI. The Spaniard was solid throughout but should’ve maybe made it a little more difficult for De Frutos to put the cross in for Levante’s second goal.
David Alaba: 7/10
Fede Valverde: 6.5/10
Casemiro: 7/10
Just like Valverde, Casemiro struggled to make much of an impact in midfield. The Brazilian lacked his usual presence and solidity in the middle of the park. Assisted Vinicius’ first goal with a sensational long-range pass.
Isco: 8/10
One of Isco’s best performances in a long long time, if not the best. The Spaniard was unplayable at times in the first-half and relished the chance of being that creative outlet in midfield. Was replaced by Asensio on the hour mark.
Gareth Bale: 7/10
Karim Benzema: 8/10
Eden Hazard: 5/10
Substitutions:
Vinicius Jr: 9/10 – Coming on to replace Hazard, the Brazilian was simply sensational. Vini equalised twice for Real Madrid with two brilliant strikes and was virtually unplayable during his time on the pitch and will undoubtedly give Ancelotti a selection headache.
Rodrygo: 6.5/10 – Came on to replace Bale with thirty minutes to go. The Brazilian was relatively quite but did bring positive energy to the right flank.
Marco Asensio: 5/10 – Replaced Isco in the middle of the park but failed to make much of an impact.
Carvajal: 7/10 – He’s finally back. After being out of action for 117 days, Carvajal finally made his comeback for Real Madrid in what was his 200th LaLiga appearance.
Luka Jovic: 6/10 – Came on to replace Valverde. The Serbian came close to scoring with a header and was unlucky not to be awarded a penalty. The bad luck continues.
