Real Madrid won their Champions League round 1-0 at Atlanta on Wednesday, with Ferland Mendy scoring his only shot in the first round of the 16 Champions League round. The goal came in the final moments and put Los Blancos in the driver’s seat to advance to the quarterfinals when they play the second leg in March.
But how did each player perform in this? Here are our player ratings for each starter, substitute and manager match.
All ratings are out of 10, and the numbers are better. Zero will be the first minute red card. 10 would be like a strong hat trick.
Atlanta
GK – Pierre Luigi Golini
He was not too busy, and was struck by a spectacular strike. Everything else did well, but could it do better on goal? His line of sight seemed blocked.
Rating: 5
Def – Berat Digisti
The position would have been better, but the effort was there. He also performed well to overcome fear and was strong in the air.
Rating: 6
Def – Christian Romero
Positioning was good, the ball recovered well, but at some point Real’s technical ability also got into trouble. Won most of his duel and stopped the ball five times.
Rating: 7
DEF – Rafael Toloi
The rock behind, doing everything. He was strong in his tackles, not defeated in the air and helped thwart some runs depending on the goal.
Rating: 7
Def – Robin Gozans
Risk in defense. He was a strong player on the pitch and couldn’t beat him when he challenged one.
Rating: 8
Def – Joachim Mehle
Hustled, but his passing was too weak. There always seemed to be an extra touch to be comfortable. His team had the best chance, but it wasn’t even remotely good.
Rating: 5
MID – Remo Freiler
The red card was awarded just 17 minutes later for the challenge, and it was tough, fair. He did not deserve to say goodbye, and now he has to lose another leg. Unfortunate for him,
Rating: N / A
MID – Martin de Ron
With Real dominating the ball, he never really went and he only touched 46. He also never got ahead, failing to complete a pass in the final third.
Rating: 5
MID – Matteo Pacina
Being a creative play-maker in the middle, he created zero opportunities. So, you tell me how his day went.
Rating: 4
FWD – Louis Muriel
Going down 10 men, his chances were blocked, he was defeated and he only lasted 56 minutes. It was just one of those days.
Rating: 4
FWD – Duwan Zapata
Beaten in the first half and just 30 minutes later.
Rating: N / A
Sub – Mario Pacelic
Played 60 minutes and shifted one shift.
Rating: 6
Sub – Josip Ilicic
Half an hour went by and he didn’t get a single look at the goal before taking off. Not good
Rating: N / A
SUB – Ruslan Malinowski
Late sub
Rating: N / A
Sub – Jose Palomino
Second late sub.
Rating: N / A
Manager – Gian Piero Gasparini
The team’s plan to attack by red card has just been scrapped. A 0-0 draw would have been a great result considering all things, but now they have their backs against the wall. Still, they are more than capable of reversing the fragile deficit. It wasn’t all bad, but the referee did him no favors.
Rating: 5
Real Madrid
G.K. – Thibaut Courtois
He saved as much as you and I did. All about the audience for about 90 minutes and there was only one corner to worry about.
Rating: 5
Deaf – Ferland Mandy
The hero, with his second goal of the season, is taking it well. He came a long way and appeared alive early, but no one saw that goal coming. What a hit.
Rating: 8
Def – Dance
He didn’t have much to deal with, but he created a really dangerous opportunity in the attack. He just had to look at his fellow center in this one because it wasn’t a tough shift.
Rating: 5
Def – Rafael Varane
Strong as always, though it didn’t challenge him much. 12 re 12 was received, but struggled a little in the air with the height of Atlanta, although that is not the amount of anything.
Rating: 7
Def – Lucas Vazquez
Not a natural defender, his speed and effort go a long way. Missed badly on a few challenges but did better than worse.
Rating: 5
MID – Tony Cruz
Scored excellent chances, his passage was almost perfect and really helped to attack after a slow start.
Rating: 7
MID – Casemiro
Very strong in the middle, commanding the game at both ends. There were also some constructive moments, but the time spent in the final third was very short.
Rating: 6
MID – Luka Modric
The Croatian star got help and created four chances. He completed almost one percent of the passes and felt good, in the second half he was missing a lot of chances.
Rating: 7
FWD – Vinicius Jr.
Madrid has his scoring boots left. There were two shots and should have done better. Took off after 57 minutes.
Rating: 5
FWD – Isco
Wrong nine roles played and fixed. He took a dangerous opportunity, bho, the couple saw themselves and tried their best not to have the ideal situation.
Rating: 6
FWD – Marco Asensio
Nothing made ahead and spent a really good free kick in the second half. Played 76 minutes before takeoff.
Rating: 5
Sub – Mariano Diaz
Wonder how he feels about Isco starting ahead of him despite being the only healthy striker. Credit his professionalism and his efforts, but he never came close to making an impact after coming forward.
Rating: 5
Sub – Hugo Duro
Late substitute.
Rating: N / A
Sub – Sergio Aribas
Second late sub.
Rating: N / A
Manager – Zinedine Zidane
It wasn’t pretty, but it was enough despite the weird lineup. A 0-0 draw would have been solid, but a 1-0 win is a very good result and he felt lucky. But, be careful, because this one is not even close to ending. Zidane knows that, but the result sets him up nicely.
Rating: 7
