Player Ratings: Real Madrid 1-0 Athletic Club – 2021/22
A first-half goal from Karim Benzema secured a 1-0 win for Real Madrid against Athletic Club at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday to move seven points clear at the top of LaLiga.
Athletic Club goalkeeper Unai Simon saved a shot from Marco Asensio, Luka Modric miss-hit the rebound and it landed at the feet of Karim Benzema, who finished into the empty net.
Athletic had an abundance of chances throughout the game but all of them were either missed, blocked or saved. In attack, Real Madrid created very little chances much to the frustration of the fans at the Bernabéu. In the end, Real Madrid took their chance and held on to secure a very precious three points in the race for LaLiga. Our player ratings:
Starting XI:
Thibaut Courtois: 9/10
Virtually unbeatable in goal. The Belgian pulled off a number of outstanding saves to deny Athletic Club a handful of clear cut chances. The best goalkeeper in the world.
Lucas Vazquez: 7/10
Eder Militao: 8/10
Another solid performance from the Brazilian. Eder made a total of 9 clearances and blocked 3 shots proving crucial to Real Madrid’s win.
David Alaba: 6.5/10
Alaba struggled at times with Athletic’s attacks and didn’t look his usual self. The Austrian lacked quality on the ball and looked abnormally shaky while defending.
Ferland Mendy: 7/10
Casemiro: 6.5/10
Toni Kroos: 7/10
Another solid performance from the in-form German. Toni Kroos controlled the game and came close to scoring from outside the box on a number of occasions. Toni completed 78/83 passes (94% accuracy) and completed 14 of 16 long balls but could’ve done with better decision making in the final third.
Marco Asenio: 5/10
Karim Benzema: 8/10
Vinicius Jr: 8/10
Substitutions:
Rodrygo Goes: 6/10 – Came on to replace Asensio on the hour mark. The Brazilian looked sharp but didn’t see much of the ball to really impact the game.
Fede Valverde: 6/10 – Came on to replace Luka Modric. The Uruguayan added fresh legs and some grit into the middle of the park as Madrid looked to see out the game.
Eduardo Camavinga: N/A – Came on to replace Toni Kroos late on.
Nacho: N/A – Came on to replace Vazquez late on.
