Getafe snapped Real Madrid’s 11-match unbeaten streak in La Liga as an early strike from Enes Unal was enough to seal a 1-0 win for the hosts on Sunday afternoon.
The hosts took the league-leaders by surprise, taking the lead in the 9th minute of the game when Enes Unal latched on an early blunder from Real Madrid defender Eder Militao before firing past a helpless Thibaut Courtois. Getafe had a clear identity and plan from the get-go; they unsettled Los Blancos with a string of gritty fouls while their energy and high press in the first quarter caused all sorts of problems for the visitors.
Real Madrid grew into the game despite the sluggish start and finally found themselves dominating possession without any clear-cut chances. Luka Modric rattled the crossbar halfway through the first half as Real Madrid nearly equalised. They seized control of the game from that moment on as Getafe shifted to a low-block to protect their lead.
The Merengues were impressive with their build-up play but looked flat offensively in the first half. The second period was a bit more exciting, with Getafe also posing a threat on counter-attacks. Casemiro came closest to levelling the scoreline with a glorious half-volley from the edge of the box but was expertly denied by Getafe keeper David Soria.
Real Madrid continued to knock on the door with the lion’s share of possession at the edge of Getafe’s box but they did not really test Soria enough as the spirited Azulones grabbed a hard-fought 1-0 victory. The result means the table-toppers stay eight points clear of second-placed Sevilla, although Julen Lopetegui’s men now have two games in hand to reduce the deficit. After quite an underwhelming day in the office, The Hard Tackle will run the rule over Carlo Ancelotti’s men.
Thibaut Courtois: 6/10
Courtois was one of the very few players who performed admirably on the day. The Belgian was proactive and confident on the ball, and came up quick off his line to help out the shaky defence. Real could have easily lost the game by multiple goals if it were not Courtois between the sticks. Having said that, he did nearly gift Nemanja Maksimovic a goal, but thankfully for Real’s No. 1, the midfielder could not capitalise.
Lucas Vazquez: 6/10
Vazquez made some nice movement in the attacking third, but his crossing and passes came up short on the day. He finished with three key passes, two dribbles and won four fouls. He was one of the better attacking players but was surprisingly hooked off the pitch with 10 minutes remaining on the clock.
Eder Militao: 4.5/10
Militao was decent except for that costly blunder that gave Getafe the lead. He was caught in possession a couple of times early on but did well to recover. The performance could easily be construed as a slight blimp in what has otherwise has been a near-perfect season so far for the Brazilian, who has emerged as one of the best defenders in the league.
Since Eder Militão earned his place in the starting XI, Real Madrid have only lost just 4 out of 40 games in which the Brazilian has started. ⭐️??
1 bad game doesn’t define who you are we move. pic.twitter.com/2PnXAphYsk
— Kyle (@valverdecentraI) January 2, 2022
David Alaba: 5/10
Perhaps Alaba’s worst performance so far in what has been a promising start to his Real Madrid career. While Militao let away the decisive goal with an egregious blunder, Alaba made multiple errors that Getafe might have easily punished if they were clinical enough on the day. He made a couple of excellent plays, but even they were marred by some sloppy passing.
Ferland Mendy: 5/10
Ferland Mendy was bang-average in the first half and sluggish in his passing. While he was not a disaster defensively, he left a lot to be desired for attacking-wise. Carlo Ancelotti took the right decision by taking him off for a more attacking option in Marcelo at half-time. Mendy’s offensive incapacities are becoming a key narrative in recent games.
Casemiro: 7/10
Involved in some excellent defensive actions but did not always deal well when Getafe countered with energy. The Brazilian put a decent shift in the middle of the park and was a rare creative spark, as he started many attacks. He nearly equalised in the second half, hitting a technically perfect strike destined for the bottom corner, but Soria came up with an expert save. Casemiro won 12 aerial duels at an 80% success rate, led the team for passes (93), and won all six tackles.
Toni Kroos: 5/10
Toni Kroos laboured defensively and had a few good attacking moments. He completed 96% of his passes, including eight of ten long balls attempted and played two key passes. So, he did decent on the outlook, but he was another one having a rare off-day. He could not orchestrate attacks as usual and was more sideways with his passing than progressive. He was also pretty wasteful at set-pieces, and a wayward free-kick summed it all up.
Luka Modric: 7/10
Luka Modrić vs Getafe, the numbers?
In 90+ minutes:
99 touches
87% pass accuracy
1 chance created
1/1 accurate cross
7/8 accurate long passes
2 shots on target
2/4 dribbles completed (most)
6/10 ground duels won
1/1 aerial duels won
1 tackle
1 interceptionTough loss to take. pic.twitter.com/W88cfXiI4v
— Modrić Xtra?? (@ModricXtra) January 2, 2022
Luka Modric distinguished himself as one of the finest performers in a sea of terrible ones on the day. Hit the woodwork with a left-footed strike after nearly scoring with another shot just a few minutes before. At times, he was exquisite with his passes and ran his socks off to find the equaliser until the final whistle.
Marco Asensio: 3/10
It was a dreadful performance by Marco Asensio. He offered nothing and was completely anonymous. He never got going and provided zero threat, shown by the fact that he only had 22 touches. As a result, Ancelotti rightly substituted him at half-time for Eden Hazard, who was far better than the Spaniard.
Rodrygo Goes: 5/10
Rodrygo had only recently recovered from illness and appeared out of sorts throughout the game. He looked rusty and lethargic against Getafe’s deep block. He was simply too ineffective on the ball and was pretty awful after shifting on the right side before being hooked off for Mariano Diaz.
Karim Benzema: 4/10
While there were some nice off-the-ball movements and link-up play with Hazard after the break, this can easily go down as one of Karim Benzema’s worst performances in a long time. The Frenchman did not register a single shot on target or create a key pass. Nothing clicked for him, from taking rash decisions in the final third and losing possession consistently to abysmal passing. Given Madrid’s skipper’s usual dependability, he had a rare off-day.
?| Ancelotti: "Players who didn't play well today? I can't really say the names… if I have to, Benzema didn't play well."
— Madrid Xtra. (@MadridXtra) January 2, 2022
Substitutes
Marcelo: 5/10
Marcelo came in at left-back, and while he was a more attacking option than Ferland Mendy and was involved more going forward, he could not muster up any major chances against a rigid Getafe setup.
Eden Hazard: 5/10
Eden Hazard was a step above the other wingers at Ancelotti’s disposal on the day, but he never gave the impression that he was confident enough to burst past the opponents with ease. A couple of nice dribbles but did not create anything significant. Though, he drew several fouls in good positions, which Real could not capitalise on.
Mariano Diaz: 5/10
Tried to work the channels but to little effect and could not impact the game.
Isco: N/A
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
Peter Gonzalez: N/A
Did not play enough to warrant a rating.
