Real Madrid stumbled and clawed their way to an unconvincing 2-1 victory at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez against Getafe, with goals coming from Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo.
We can safely say that there will be better performances from Zidane’s men going forward this season. Getafe looked more threatening that they should have been, primarily due to the lack of intensity shown by the visitors. Some of them were perhaps fatigued after the international break.
Benzema took it upon himself to open the scoring, capitalising on a defensive error and evading a challenge, accelerating past the defender and finished emphatically, smashing it into the bottom corner of Guaita’s goal in the 39th minute.
Marcos Llorente, who was faultless so far, brought Getafe level in the 56th minute, making the mess of a tackle and deflecting it into Casilla’s goal. Cristiano Ronaldo then bailed his side out with a fine finish in the 89th minute to help secure all three points for his side.
His goal is arguably their most important one this season. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid played out a 0-0 draw in the following match and that meant that Los Blancos leapfrogged their cross town rivals Atletico to move to second place on the table, albeit 5 points away from league leaders Barcelona.
Kiko Casilla: 6/10
The Spaniard was a bystander for most of the game. Collected and distributed well and could nothing for the goal his side conceded. But had nothing to do barring a couple of easy saves, especially given that his side had 69% of the possession.
Achraf Hakimi: 7/10
The 18-year-old put in yet another superb shift at right back. An extremely composed performance, especially for someone his age, never seemed to be overawed by the occasion and a was unafraid to bombard down the flanks as much he could.
He does need to work on his end product, but positioned himself well when Real were in possession of the ball and fast, made 9 recoveries and good in the air as well. Clearly justified his manager’s faith in him, and we will surely see more of him this season.
Nacho Hernandez: 6/10
Partly at fault for the first goal, failed to track Molina on the break and couldn’t stop the ball from rolling into Casilla’s net. The Spaniard didn’t have much to do alongside Sergio Ramos, but ensured that he kept the Getafe attack quiet when called upon and recovered well.
Sergio Ramos: 8/10
Displayed his aerial prowess by winning 7 of his 10 duels in the air. It was a classy performance from the Captain, who cut a resolute figure in the heart of his side’s defence. Marshalled his back four well, was smart in distribution and constantly stifle the Getafe attack.
Marcelo: 6/10
It wasn’t the Brazilian’s best performance in a Los Blancos kit. Looked a bit fatigued on his return to the squad after a lengthy lay off and seemed a bit off the pace. The match rust was evident, and he couldn’t influence the game going forward. Replaced by Theo Hernandez after 72nd minutes.
Marcos Llorente: 6/1o
Deflected the ball in for Getafe’s equaliser. Other than that, it was good game for the Spaniard in midfield alongside Toni Kroos. Was the second most prolific passer on the night and maintained a pass accuracy of 93% in the final third.
Did well to win and keep possession, was clearly good in distribution however, his lack of creativity was evident. But overall, it was an encouraging and disciplined performance by the youngster.
Marco Asensio: 5/10
An uncharacteristically tame performance from the young sensation. Couldn’t contribute in terms of goals or assists and was isolated for most of the game on the left wing. Would’ve likely done better in a more central position. Barely had possession, and did even less when he got it.
Toni Kroos: 7/10
His side’s best most prolific passer, the German’s superb ability to distribute the ball was on full display. Didn’t quite look the same without Modric at his side and took a while to strike up an understanding with Marcos Llorente, but they did well to maintain possession.
Lucas Vazquez: 6/10
Probably the most fouled player on the pitch, the 26-year-old started brightly, but faded into the second half. Ran as much as his legs would let him in an attempt to contribute to Real’s cause, but the fouls did also stifle his momentum and take its toll on the Spaniard.
He completed 4 of his 5 take-ons and combined with his teammates well. He also put in a good shift defensively, making 3 successful tackles. Taken off for Isco in the 72nd minute.
Cristiano Ronaldo: 7/10
The Portuguese superstar finally got off the mark this season in the La Liga, much to the relief of himself and Zinedine Zidane. He couldn’t have picked a better time, as Real were in real danger of missing out on 2 valuable points.
Goal aside, it was a poor performance from the 32-year-old. He missed quite a few chances that on any other day would’ve been nestling in the back of the net, most of them from close range. He combined well with Benzema, but needs to get back into top gear sooner rather than later.
Karim Benzema: 8/10
Real’s best player on the pitch. The Frenchman was in superb form and constantly harassed the hosts’ defence. Completed all four of his take-ons, capitalised on an defensive error and scored a superb goal and set up 2 clear cut chances for Ronaldo, who couldn’t finish.
Substitutes
Theo Hernandez: N/A
Got called offside once, and was booked.
Isco: 8/10
Benched for this tie due to the upcoming match against Tottenham, but had to be brought on as Real Madrid were still 1-1. Came on in the 72nd minute and almost immediately began running the show. Set up Cristiano Ronaldo’s winner with a fantastic overhead pass. Made the lack of any kind of creative spark in the side prior to his introduction even more evident.