A ten-man Real Madrid side were beaten 1-2 by relegation battlers Girona at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday afternoon.
Just when it appeared that Real Madrid were back in the race for the La Liga title, they were dealt a hammer blow as Santiago Solari’s men succumbed to a shock 1-2 loss to Girona at home this past weekend.
Real Madrid entered the game with a chance to reduce the gap to leaders Barcelona to six points and started on a positive note, as midfielder Casemiro headed home to give them a lead in the 25th minute. The Merengues continued to dominate possession, but failed to find a way through the Girona defence.
The visitors burst into life after the break and made Real pay for some sloppy defending as Cristhian Stuani dispatched home a penalty in the 65th minute, before Portu scored the winning goal ten minutes later to cause a major upset at the Bernabeu.
FT: @realmadrid 1-2 @GironaFC
⚽ @Casemiro 25'; Stuani 65' (p), Portu 75'#RMLiga pic.twitter.com/C4TPBCx3iz— Real Madrid C.F. ???? (@realmadriden) February 17, 2019
The result left Real Madrid nine points short of leaders Barcelona and two points behind second-placed Atletico Madrid. Here’s how Los Blancos’ players fared on what was a very disappointing afternoon at home.
Thibaut Courtois: 6/10
Saved a Stuani effort with his face and made two spectacular saves, but should have held on to the ball after having pulled off a great stop to deny Anthony Lozano; instead he parried it straight back into the path of Portu, allowing him to score the winner from the rebound.
Alvaro Odriozola: 6/10
Handed a rare league start in place of Dani Carvajal, the Spaniard was lively going forward from the right-back slot and created a great chance for Karim Benzema. Defensively was a little suspect, more so after Lozano came on in the second period.
Raphael Varane: 6.5/10
The World Cup winner returned to the starting XI after recovering from flu and was arguably Real’s best defender on the night. Dealt with the threat posed by Stuani, going toe to toe physically against the Uruguayan. Got into right positions to thwart the visitors as they stepped it up after the break. His use of the ball was questionable at times, however.
Sergio Ramos: 4/10
The Real Madrid captain let his team down big time in what was his 601st club appearance. Stopped a goal-bound effort with his hand, leading to his first yellow and the penalty for the equaliser. Picked up his second card late in the game for a dangerous attempt at bicycle kick in the opposition box, resulting into a sending off.
Marcelo: 4/10
Making his first league start since January in place of Sergio Reguilon, the Brazilian offered a decent outlet on the left flank and had a goal ruled out for offside. Defensively was nowhere near solid enough as most of Girona’s threat came from his side, including the move leading up to the penalty, while he was also sloppy in his marking for the visitors’ second.
Toni Kroos: 7/10
In the absence of Luka Modric, the German international had the responsibility of keeping Real Madrid ticking in the middle of the park and he did so with little fuss. Delivered an inch-perfect cross for Casemiro to head in the first period and was always there to provide help at the back when needed.
Casemiro: 6/10
The Brazilian midfield enforcer opened the scoring for the third time in his last five league outings, with a well-placed header in the first half. Struggled to assert his influence in the middle of the park, more so after the break when Girona started to take the game to the home side.
Dani Ceballos: 4/10
Handed a start in place of the suspended Modric, the Spanish international struggled to influence the proceedings in any meaningful way on Sunday noon. Anonymous for most of the time, Ceballos looked short of confidence when he did get on the ball. Subbed off for Mariano Diaz.
Lucas Vazquez: 6/10
Back into the starting lineup after having dropped out of the team against Ajax, the Spaniard was an energetic presence on the field as he constantly tried to make things happen, while was offering support defensively as well. However, apart from a chance at 0-0, Vazquez couldn’t conjure up much in the final third and was the first player to be subbed off.
Karim Benzema: 6/10
The Frenchman was once again Madrid’s most standout player in attack, with his slick and sharp movement. But, the finishing touch was missing, as he squandered a number of opportunities to find the back of the net on either side of half-time. Will be hoping to get back to scoring ways in the next game.
Marco Asensio: 6/10
Handed a start over Vinicius Junior on the left-flank after scoring the winning goal against Ajax, the Spaniard started off brightly and fashioned a few opportunities on goal. However, Asensio faded with time and could not have the desired impact on the game. Taken off for Gareth Bale.
Substitutes
Vinicius Junior: 6.5/10
Replaced Vazquez a little before the hour mark as Solari looked to add more dynamism to the attack. Livened things up in the final third and came close to scoring twice with curling strikes, but couldn’t fire his team to a win.
Gareth Bale: 5/10
Came on for Asensio soon after Girona equalised. Failed to make any sort of impact on the day.
Mariano Diaz: 5/10
Thrown on for Ceballos in the 74th minute as Real looked to take the game to Girona. Looked rusty and lacked sharpness.
