Player Ratings: Real Madrid 2-0 Eibar

Goals from Marco Asensio and Karim Benzema ease Real Madrid past Eibar and earn Los Blancos an important three points in the race for LaLiga.

Real Madrid opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time. Casemiro won the ball in midfield before playing a fantastic through ball to Asensio who clipped the ball over Dmitrovic and into the back of the net. Despite Madrid’s dominance, Eibar nearly equalised after Courtois had misjudged a back pass from Vazquez.

Madrid finally managed to put the game to bed on the 70 minute mark with Karim Benzema finding the net after a great cross from Vinicius down the left flank. The win sees Real Madrid close the gap to league leaders Atletico Madrid to just 3 points and gives Los Blancos a confidence boost heading into Tuesday’s match against Liverpool and next weekends Clasico. Our player ratings:

Starting XI:

Thibaut Courtois: 8/10

A relatively quiet outing for Real Madrid’s Belgian. Despite Eibar not creating much danger, Courtois was almost embarrassed when he misjudged a backpass from Vazquez that nearly crossed his line.

Eder Militao: 8/10

A confidence boosting performance from Militao. The Brazilian barely put a foot wrong and will now undoubtedly play a big role in Real Madrid’s remaining fixtures this season following Ramos’ injury.

Nacho: 8/10

The way Nacho has played this season, Zidane and Real Madrid fans have nothing to worry about when Ramos is not around. The Madrid youth product put in an excellent shift allowing Eibar very little space and opportunities in attack.

Ferland Mendy: 7/10

Lucas Vazquez: 8/10

Luka Modric: 7/10

Another very good performance from Luka Modric. The Croatian was excellent on the ball and gave Real Madrid the spark they needed in midfield. Replaced by Toni Kroos on the hour mark with eyes on the match against Liverpool.

Casemiro: 8/10

Fantastic shift from Real Madrid’s engine. The Brazilian won the ball in midfield before finding Asensio for Real Madrid’s opener. Casemiro managed to score himself but it was ruled out for offside.

Isco: 8/10

Having not been called up by his country during the international break, Isco was given a rare start. The Spaniard looked sharp on the ball and was involved in the majority of Real Madrid’s attacks, especially in the first half.

Marcelo: 7/10

Karim Benzema: 8/10

Marco Asensio: 8/10

Substitutions:

Toni Kroos: 6/10 – Came on to replace Modric for the last 30 minutes. Great to see him recover in time for the crucial week ahead while also allowing Modric some time to rest.

Rodrygo: 6/10 – Came on to replace Asensio. The Brazilian didn’t have much of an impact on the game but remains a threat coming off the bench.

Arribas: 7/10 – Came on to replace Isco. The young Spaniard looked sharp and was involved in the buildup to Real Madrid’s second goal.

Vinicius Jr: 7/10 – Came on to replace Marcelo. The Brazilian added energy and speed to Real Madrid’s attack and assisted Benzema for Real Madrid’s second goal.

Mariano Diaz: 6/10 – Came on replace Benzema with 10 minutes left.