Casemiro and Lucas Vazquez scored while Vinicius Junior dazzled as Real Madrid beat Getafe 2-0 in La Liga at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday night.
Real Madrid were on top of Getafe from kickoff and thought they had taken a lead just five minutes in through Karim Benzema. But the goal was chalked off for offside. The Merengues kept coming at their visitors, though, with Federico Valverde and Vinicius Junior forcing the opposition goalkeeper into saves.
The deadlock was finally broken in the 37th minute when Casemiro got on the end of a sublime cross from Vinicius Junior and headed it into the back of the net. Getafe hardly threatened going forward as Real Madrid stayed on top of the Azulones before killing the game off midway through the second period when Lucas Vazquez produced a fine finish after a nice link-up with Rodrygo Goes.
The closest Getafe came on the night was when Enes Unal struck the woodwork in stoppage time as Carlo Ancelotti’s men cruised to a comfortable 2-0 victory at home to stretch their lead at the top of the La Liga standings. Here are our player ratings for the Real Madrid stars following their straightforward win.
Thibaut Courtois: 6/10
A quiet outing for the Real Madrid goalkeeper on Saturday night as he did not have a single save to make throughout the game. A nice change of pace after his heroics against Celta Vigo and Chelsea.
Lucas Vazquez: 8/10
20 – Lucas Vázquez has scored his 20th goal in @LaLigaEN (17th for @realmadriden ⚪️⚪️) and the fifth with the left foot in the competition. The last time he scored with his left foot in the league was in December 2018 against Valencia. Resource. pic.twitter.com/YBDVnANq5r
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 9, 2022
The Spaniard was reinstated into the lineup at right-back in place of Dani Carvajal. And he justified his selection with a fine attacking display. Vazquez got forward constantly and kept the Getafe defence pegged back, pulling off some good-looking stepovers and playing three key passes along the way. He produced a brilliant finish to make it 2-0 in the second half and was solid on the defensive side of things too.
Eder Militao: 7/10
The Real Madrid centre-half recovered from a knock he picked up against Chelsea to start against Getafe and put in a solid display. Borja Mayoral did not have a sniff at the goal thanks to the Brazilian. Militao also showed some great quality with his passing all through the game.
David Alaba: 7.5/10
With not much to do defensively, Alaba was constantly pressing forward and getting involved in the build-up play for Real Madrid, doing so with great effect. The Austrian played two key passes on the night and was reliable at the back, ensuring Enes Unal had a quiet outing.
Marcelo: 7.5/10
Coming into the lineup due to Ferland Mendy’s absence, the Real Madrid captain had a positive outing in which he was not asked to do much defensively. As a result, Marcelo got forward well and linked up well with the likes of Vinicius and Benzema. He even delivered a few dangerous crosses and forced a save from David Soria.
Federico Valverde: 7.5/10
Another fine display from the Uruguayan midfielder, who continues to stake a claim for a regular starting berth. Valverde was his usual energetic self, forcing turnovers and driving the ball upfield with intent. Getafe players had a hard time dealing with him as he played three key passes and even forced Soria into a save with a thumping volley in the first half.
Camavinga & Valverde appreciation tweet. pic.twitter.com/KiNiX2wAVR
— MIC (@yooo_mic) April 9, 2022
Casemiro: 7/10
A fairly straightforward outing for Casemiro. He did not have much to do on the defensive side of things apart from thwarting a rare attack from the visitors here and there. The Brazilian got the ball rolling for Real Madrid on the night with a fine diving header after making a good run into the box.
Eduardo Camavinga: 7.5/10
It was a step in the right direction from the young midfielder who does not get many starting opportunities in this Real Madrid setup. Camavinga oozed calm and composure on the ball, making all the right decisions while he was at hand to cut out whatever threat the visitors tried to conjure up, finishing with a game-high five interceptions. He played an integral role in the home team dominating the game the way they did.
Rodrygo Goes: 7/10
A positive performance from the young Brazilian who got the nod on the right flank ahead of Marco Asensio. Rodrygo linked up well with Vazquez, causing the Getafe backline problems and got the assist for the Spaniard’s second goal. He also played a game-high four key passes.
Karim Benzema: 6.5/10
The hero of the midweek game against Chelsea, Benzema had a relatively quiet night on Sunday. He scored early in the game but saw the strike get ruled out for offside. While he did not offer much of a goal threat, Benzema did link up well with those around him and played three key passes before getting an early rest.
Vinicius Junior: 8/10
With 17 goals and 13 assists, Vinicius Jr. has now contributed to 30 goals for Real Madrid this season.
What a player! ??? pic.twitter.com/D7gc51zX4n
— Madrid Zone (@theMadridZone) April 9, 2022
The Brazilian international looked in his elements from the off and showed some neat skills to conjure a shooting opportunity in the first half. He then produced a brilliant outside-of-the-boot cross to set Casemiro up for the opening goal. Vinicius continued to pose a threat with his direct running and dribbling all through the game.
SUBSTITUTES
Gareth Bale: 6/10
He came on for Benzema in the 74th minute. Bale was jeered and whistled by the fans, but ignored them and showed some good movement in and around the box.
Dani Ceballos: 6/10
The former Real Betis man replaced Casemiro for the final 15 minutes and displayed some neat distribution skills. He was eager to get on the ball and spray forward passes.
Marco Asensio: N/A
Sent on for Vinicius with less than ten minutes left.
Nacho: N/A
Late substitute for Alaba.
