Luka Modric and Eden Hazard impressed for Real Madrid as they defeated a ten-man Inter Milan outfit 2-0 at San Siro in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.
Coming into the game with a depleted side, the odds were stacked against Real Madrid. However, Zinedine Zidane’s men made a purposeful start to the game and were ahead in no time as Eden Hazard dispatched a cool penalty in the seventh minute after Nicolo Barella had fouled Nacho inside the Inter Milan box.
Real Madrid continued to put the hosts under the pump with Lucas Vazquez hitting the crossbar, while Hazard and Nacho drew saves from Handanovic. And things got much worse for Antonio Conte’s side as Arturo Vidal was sent off just after the half-hour mark for arguing against a yellow card that he had initially received for dissent.
Inter’s task got much harder fifteen minutes into the second half as substitute Rodrygo’s effort deflected off of former Real Madrid man Achraf Hakimi to make it 2-0 in favour of Los Blancos. There was no way back for the Nerazzurri, although Ivan Perisic did force a save out of Thibaut Courtois late in the game.
The win sees Real Madrid move to the second place in Group B while Inter Milan sit at the bottom and are facing the prospect of getting eliminated. And here’s how we rated the performances of players from both the teams on the night at San Siro.
Inter Milan
Samir Handanovic: 6/10
The Inter Milan captain made a couple of routine stops in the first period after having failed to stop Hazard’s penalty. Not a lot he could have done about the second goal. Made no mistakes but couldn’t save his team from a defeat either.
Milan Skriniar: 5/10
Back into the starting XI after being benched at the weekend, the 25-year-old found it difficult to cope with the movement and interchanging of positions by the Real Madrid attackers. Wasn’t quite his composed self on the ball either.
Stefan de Vrij: 6/10
Another player who did not start at the weekend, but was back into the side on Wednesday, the Dutchman dealt fairly well with Mariano Diaz. However, Madrid’s pressure meant he wasn’t given the time to play out from the back effectively.
Alessandro Bastoni: 5/10
A rather lacklustre performance from the young Italian international as he was left exposed on more than one occasion in the first period. Subbed off at half-time, with Conte deciding to change his side’s formation.
Achraf Hakimi: 5/10
Coming up against his former team, the wing-back offered very little going forward on the night. Got the deflection on Rodrygo’s shot for Madrid’s second goal.
Nicolo Barella: 4/10
A poor outing for the Italian international, who gave away the penalty minutes after kick-off with an unnecessary foul on Nacho. Was overrun in the midfield throughout the game.
Roberto Gagliardini: 5/10
Booked in the first half, which meant he had to be careful for the rest of the game. Worked hard and tried to put up a fight but was unable to stem the Real Madrid midfield.
Arturo Vidal: 2/10
I’m gonna be watching this video of Vidal getting a ( well deserved ) red card as motivation for my exams. pic.twitter.com/PqdQMGiZWT
— Sanaa ³⁴ (@whoisSanaa) November 25, 2020
Fired over from a promising position after Hazard had scored for Real Madrid. Lost his head after a nothing penalty shout didn’t go his way and picked up two yellow cards in the space of ten seconds for ranting at the referee. Let his team down in a big way after having been brought in to provide the experience in big games like this.
Ashley Young: 5/10
Had his task cut out against a lively Vazquez and wasn’t always able to contain the threat posed by the Spaniard. This also meant that the former Manchester United man hardly got forward.
Romelu Lukaku: 6/10
Worked hard throughout and tried to make things happen but lacked any sort of support from his teammates on the night.
Lautaro Martinez: 5/10
Stayed on the pitch for just 45 minutes as Vidal’s sending off meant Conte had to switch things up. However, hardly caused any problems to the Madrid backline for the duration that he was playing.
SUBSTITUTES
Danilo D’Ambrosio: 5/10
Came on for Bastoni at half-time with Conte switching his team to a back four. Not solid enough, however.
Ivan Perisic: 6.5/10
Replaced Martinez at half-time. While Madrid dominated proceedings for most of the second period, Perisic looked threatening when Inter did get on the ball. Drew a save from Courtois late on.
Alexis Sanchez: 5/10
Thrown on for Hakimi soon after Madrid’s second goal. Started bright, but faded soon after.
Stefano Sensi: N/A
Replaced Gagliardini in the 78th minute to mark his return from injury. Booked.
Christian Eriksen: N/A
Late substitute for Lukaku.
Real Madrid
Thibaut Courtois: 6.5/10
A spectator for the majority of the match, Courtois had little to do with his team controlling things. Stayed alert to make a good stop from Perisic’s shot late in the game.
Dani Carvajal: 7.5/10
A fine performance from the Real Madrid right-back, who shut the doors on Inter Milan’s players down his side while showing some great link-up and understanding with Luka Modric and Vazquez in the right-side channel. Crucial to driving the team forward.
Raphael Varane: 7.5/10
Leading the team on the night, the Real Madrid centre-back put up another solid display at the heart of the defence. Kept a check on the Inter Milan attackers throughout, making three tackles and four clearances and misplaced just three of his 61 passes on the night.
Nacho Fernandez: 8/10
? | FOCUS
Nacho Fernández was literally everywhere for Real Madrid tonight:
⏱️ 90' played
? 66 touches
? 45/50 acc. passes
? 1/1 succ. dribbles
⚔️ 8/10 ground duels won
?️ 2/3 aerial duels won
❌ 5 tackles (most)
⚖️ 1 penalty won
? 7.9 SofaScore rating#InterReal #UCL https://t.co/MGmFjlWtFM— SofaScore (@SofaScoreINT) November 25, 2020
A bit-part player for Real Madrid, Nacho seems to be making the most of his chances with Sergio Ramos out injured. Won the penalty for his team’s first goal and put in an imperious performance in defence, winning five tackles – most by any player on the night, while making three clearances and an interception.
Ferland Mendy: 7/10
Hardly troubled at the back with Hakimi struggling to make any headways into the final third. The Frenchman did get forward with intent and should have scored in the 20th minute when he opted to square to Vazquez and overhit his pass.
Luka Modric: 9/10
Luka Modric game by numbers vs Inter Milan
90% pass accuracy
3 key passes
3 chances created (most in the match)
5 duels won
100% tackle success
10 recoveriesShowing his class on the big stage?? pic.twitter.com/duY2qtXaGS
— Midfield Watch (@MidfieldWatch) November 25, 2020
A vintage performance from the 35-year-old Real Madrid midfield superstar. Everything positive that the visitors conjured up on the night went through the Croatian, with his distribution and ability to drive his team forward causing all sorts of problems to Inter. Finished the game with three chances created, two dribbles completed and two interceptions.
Toni Kroos: 8/10
Kept things ticking over smoothly for Real Madrid in the middle of the park, controlling the tempo of the game. Attempted (132) and completed (128) the most number of passes on the night, while playing a couple of key passes as well. Started the move for the Merengues’ second goal of the night.
Lucas Vazquez: 8/10
A relentless display from the Spanish winger, who pressed and harried the hosts when not in possession while helping Carvajal out defensively when needed. Drove at the Inter defence with purpose and came close to scoring in the first half, with his shot hitting the woodwork. Got the assist for Madrid’s second goal.
Martin Odegaard: 7/10
The Norwegian looked comfortable playing in midfield along with Modric and Kroos. Took up good positions and offered a passing option to his teammates while also playing in some mouthwatering passes into the forwards. Taken off in the 58th minute, but still managed to play the joint-highest key passes (3) on the night.
Eden Hazard: 8.5/10
Easily one of his best performances of the season. Hazard looked in his elements from the get-go, displaying some sleek touches and dribbling past players with ease. Opened the scoring with a well-taken penalty and continued to link up well with the likes of Odegaard and Vazquez.
Went a little quiet as the game faded, but finished with six successful dribbles and a key pass. A step in the right direction, after an underwhelming performance at the weekend.
Eden Hazard completed more take-ons (6) than any other player in the Champions League this evening and misplaced just one of his final-third passes.
Getting back to what he does best. ? pic.twitter.com/2gOl2cUSdf
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) November 25, 2020
Mariano Diaz: 5.5/10
Handed another start after a strong display against Villarreal this past weekend, it just didn’t come together for Diaz against Inter Milan. Worked hard off the ball with his movement creating spaces for those around him. However, hardly threatened the goal before making way for Rodrygo.
SUBSTITUTES
Casemiro: 6.5/10
Replaced Odegaard in the 58th minute to make his return after a three-week layoff due to coronavirus. Helped Real Madrid control the game in the second half, while shielding the defence effectively. Positive signs.
Rodrygo: 7/10
Came on for Mariano in the 58th minute and made an immediate impact, finding the back of the net with his first touch via a deflection off of Hakimi. Unfortunately for him, the goal was chalked as an own goal by the Inter Milan defender. Continued to cause problems to the hosts even after that in what was a strong performance off the bench.
Vinicius Junior: N/A
Came on for Hazard with a little over ten minutes left. Had a go at goal in what was a bright cameo.
