Starting XI
Thibaut Courtois
Conceding three goals in Vallecas was definitely something the Belgian had imagined. The bell rang after just four minutes, and he was probably perplexed himself and didn’t really chase after Unai López. Admittedly, the angle from which the header came was acute. Real Madrid’s goalkeeper was also unable to do much about the second goal conceded, Abdul Moomin’s header (36′), – again the ball came flying towards the far corner from a similar angle to the first goal conceded. And even when the ball went through to Isi Palazón after a dangerous cross and Rayo’s attacker put it on goal, he seemed surprised and defenseless (64th) and was unable to thwart the third goal. Shortly before the end of the game he also improperly defended a free kick. REAL TOTAL-Note: 4.
Lucas Vázquez (until the 79th minute of the game)
Saw almost no land against Rayo’s attackers and seemed overwhelmed. He was repeatedly unsettled by the nimble and motivated home team and thus missed a echelon with his defensive teammates. He didn’t know how to counter the first goal, but with the second he allowed himself to be pushed away too easily by Moomin before the header and sat on the floor frustrated. The veteran had much more confident performances. REAL TOTAL-Note: 5,5.
Aurélien Tchouaméni
Like his teammates, he found it difficult to find a way to keep Rayo away from the goal. Like his colleague in central defense, he suffered more from the weak full-backs. But he couldn’t really stand out either. With a solid pass rate of 92 percent, he at least contributed to a decent build-up of the game and proved to be reliable in the aerial duels, winning three out of four. REAL TOTAL-Note: 4.
Antonio Rüdiger
Still held up against everything that was possible against it and recorded at least seven clarification actions. He also didn’t allow himself to be disturbed quite as much as his teammates in the full-back positions and achieved a presentable pass rate of 92 percent. But his tackling also left room for improvement against Rayo. Only won one of four duels on the ground. Cut an unfortunate figure, especially in the 20th minute, when he first lost the ball and then brought de Frutos down – at least nothing came of it. REAL TOTAL-Note: 4.
Fran Garcia
Is Real’s number 20 still dizzy? Ex-Blanco Jorge de Frutos showed him off on the wing and felt like he was on a merry-go-round with him. The result? De Frutos was then able to deliver a dangerous cross into the box, which resulted in Real Madrid’s first goal after just a few minutes. Overall, he was always busy throughout the 90 minutes, but had obvious problems getting control of the situation. REAL TOTAL-Note: 4,5.
Federico Valverde
Real Madrid needed him and he was there. When the Royals were 2-0 down, he suddenly shot from the second row with a powerful shot and scored a remarkable goal (39′). This brought his team back on track and paved the way for the catch-up race in the meantime. He was very active on the field and didn’t just move forward because of his goal. REAL TOTAL-Note: 2,5.
Luka Modrić (until the 72nd minute of the game)
Couldn’t completely meet the expectations in Vallecas and therefore didn’t play completely. Was replaced by Ancelotti at the start of the final phase and before that he showed a rather inconspicuous performance. With a pass rate of 87 percent, it was still a decent value. Although he had the captain’s armband on his arm, he remained rather reserved in his role – both with the ball at his feet and without it. On top of that, he picked up a yellow card for a tackle against Isi (62nd). REAL TOTAL-Note: 4.
Arda Güler (until the 79th minute of the game)
He put in a promising performance and left his mark on the game with two assists. Not only did he provide the pass for Federico Valverde, but also for Rodrygo Goes. Actually wanted to do more and score a hit myself. He scored from a clear offside position. Even if he didn’t score a goal himself, he at least had a commendable duel record, winning five out of six duels on the ground. REAL TOTAL-Note: 3.
Jude Bellingham
He could also be relied on again. Before the half-time whistle he equalized after a Rodrygo cross and made a very important statement (45th). He also didn’t shy away from duels and won just over half of them (six out of ten). Didn’t let his head down and set a good example until the end of the game. Overall, he showed a decent performance, although he couldn’t carry his team alone. REAL TOTAL-Note: 2,5.
Brahim Díaz (until the 63rd minute of the game)
It was barely visible and therefore inconspicuous. In his 63 minutes on the pitch he only had 26 touches of the ball, but at least he played each of his 16 passes accurately to his teammate. Nevertheless, Ancelotti made the right decision to replace him and thus provide a breath of fresh air. The offensive player only occasionally took part in the game in Vallecas. REAL TOTAL-Note: 4.
Rodrygo Goes
After the goals conceded and the two goals, he really wanted to catch up, then made a remarkable shot in front of the penalty area and gave Real Madrid the interim lead (56th). He almost seemed to become the match winner and with a dream goal too. Although he was denied this because of the third goal conceded, since he also provided the assist for Bellingham, he was the decisive man on the pitch for Los Blancos on Saturday evening in Vallecas. It’s quite possible that Ancelotti’s team would have left the field as losers without the Brazilian. REAL TOTAL-Note: 2.
3.00 avg. rating (67% score) – 3 votes
