Thibaut Courtois put in a fine display, while Karim Benzema scored to hand Real Madrid a 1-0 win over Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Saturday.
Real Madrid started brightly and had two early chances through Marco Asensio, who failed to beat Luca Zidane in the Rayo Vallecano goal at Estadio de Vallecas. However, the hosts slowly grew into the game, with Thibaut Courtois being forced into action by Sergi Guardiola. Los Blancos saw another chance go by with Asensio being denied again, while Casemiro had a goal ruled out for offside by VAR.
Courtois made a couple more good stops to keep Real Madrid in the game in the second half before a quiet period in the game where neither team created much. Luka Modric came close with an effort, only to see it hit the post and bounce out, before Courtois produced a fine double save to deny Oscar Trejo and Alvaro Garcia.
Moments later, Real Madrid finally managed to make a breakthrough after lovely link-up play between Benzema and Vinicius Junior led to the former finding the back of the net in the 83rd minute. The late goal knocked the wind out of the sails for Vallecano, who could not muster up a fightback and ended up losing the Madrid derby 1-0.
The result sees Real Madrid extend their lead at the top to nine points, albeit temporarily, with second-placed Sevilla set to face Real Betis on Sunday. Here are our player ratings for Carlo Ancelotti’s men after a hard-fought victory.
Real Madrid Player Ratings
Thibaut Courtois: 8/10
Courtois has 4 clean sheets in his last 5 games, has made 20 saves in these 5 matches and saved a crucial penalty in the UCL round of 16.
He’s the best goalkeeper in the world. No doubt. pic.twitter.com/QNXSdPKFJA
— Madrid Archives (@MadridArchives) February 26, 2022
He came up clutch again for Real Madrid, pulling off several vital saves throughout the contest to keep his team in the game. The double save in the 82nd minute, right before Benzema scored, was a standout moment for the Belgian international.
Dani Carvajal: 7.5/10
A positive display from the veteran right-back, who had a lot of joy going forward early on. Carvajal had some nice moments of link-up with Asensio, as he played three key passes while he was resolute at the back as well, letting very little get past him.
Eder Militao: 6/10
The Brazilian was not troubled much on the night, with Sergi Guardiola looking to target Nacho. There were a few moments when he lacked composure on the ball but did what was needed.
Nacho Fernandez: 5.5/10
Stepping into the team in place of the injured David Alaba, the Real Madrid cantera had his hands full with the lively Sergi Guardiola, who constantly beat the defender in headed duels. He did make a few key interceptions, but was lucky that Guardiola could not make his headed efforts count.
Ferland Mendy: 6/10
The Frenchman, who could be staring at an uncertain future at the Bernabeu, did his due diligence in defence, although he was guilty of allowing Vallecano to get quite a few crosses into the box from his side. He was also disappointing going forward and did not create much.
Luka Modric: 6.5/10
Luka Modrić vs Rayo Vallecano?
In 88 minutes:
95 touches
86% pass accuracy
1 key pass
5/5 accurate long passes
1/2 successful dribbles
3/4 ground duels won
2 fouls won
5 recoveries
1 interception
1 block
0 times dispossessedDoing it all tonight, another 3 points⚡️ pic.twitter.com/3XAGLa30xg
— Modrić Xtra?? (@ModricXtra) February 26, 2022
The veteran midfielder could not exert his usual influence on the proceedings, although he created a chance for Asensio. Modric was not shy of playing the vertical passes to carve out openings, but not everything worked for him. Hit the post in the second half but looked tired and can do with a rest.
Casemiro: 5/10
The Brazilian international was well below his best on Saturday night as he gave away possession quite a fair bit in risky areas. Thankfully for him, Vallecano did not make the most of such turnovers. He also tended to slow things down when on the ball and was lucky not to see a red card for a dangerous challenge in the second half. He was taken off soon after his yellow card.
Toni Kroos: 6.5/10
Not a standout display from the German pass master, who was typically precise in his distribution and helped fashion a couple of chances as well. However, there were occasions when he did not always appear in control of things in the middle of the park, which limited his influence.
Marco Asensio: 6/10
The brightest Real Madrid player on the pitch in the first half, Asensio caused problems to the Rayo Vallecano defence. Asensio had three very good chances to score in the first period but could not beat Luca Zidane, while his influence faded after the break. He made way for Rodrygo.
Karim Benzema: 7/10
Benzema was largely quiet for most of the game apart from a few moments when he showed some classy touches in the final third. But he did not waste his chance when it came, linking up with Vinicius beautifully before finding the back of the net to win it for Madrid.
.@marca: ‘Whenever Benzema and Vinicius combine, magic happens.’ pic.twitter.com/5aqYBIABkt
— Madrid Xtra. (@MadridXtra) February 26, 2022
Vinicius Junior: 6.5/10
He made a good run to get on the end of Benzema’s pass before squaring it back to him to assist the only goal of the game. Until that moment, though, Vinicius was uncharacteristically quiet and could do with a rest, having been played relentlessly by the manager.
SUBSTITUTES
Federico Valverde: 7/10
On for Casemiro at the hour mark. The Uruguayan was a positive influence on the proceedings and added more drive and determination to the midfield.
Rodrygo Goes: N/A
Replaced Asensio with ten minutes left. Played a role in the buildup to the goal.
Dani Ceballos: N/A
Late substitute for Modric.
Eduardo Camavinga: N/A
Came on for Vinicius late on.
