Real Madrid managed to grind out a 1-1 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night.
Real Madrid were fortunate enough to come away from the game against Shakhtar Donetsk with a point, thanks to a late goal from German defender Antonio Rudiger.
The Spanish giants won the reverse fixture at Santiago Bernabeu, but Shakhtar managed to step up and improve their performance in their own backyard.
Meanwhile, Carlo Ancelotti will be frustrated with the performance and the result. With El Clasico coming up against Barcelona at the weekend, the Real Madrid boss would have wanted a morale-boosting win for his side this week.
Shakhtar Donetsk managed to take the lead early on in the first half through Oleksandr Zubkov, and Antonio Rudiger scored the leveller for the visitors four minutes into injury time. Here, at The Hard Tackle, we look at how the Real Madrid players fared on the night.
🔥 The run continues: 13 games unbeaten!
⚽ 8 x @LaLiga
⚽ 4 x #UCL
⚽ 1 x #SuperCup pic.twitter.com/Yx2VX5Vnpv— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) October 11, 2022
Andriy Lunin: 6/10
The young goalkeeper was handed another start for Real Madrid due to the absence of Thibaut Courtois. And Lunin pulled off some important saves and produced a reasonably impressive performance overall.
Lucas Vasquez: 4/10
The 31-year-old was drafted in as the right-back instead of Dani Carvajal on the night, but he failed to impress with the performance. Vazquez looked shaky at the back and was ineffective going forward. It is fair to assume that Carvajal will be back in the starting lineup in no time.
Nacho: 6/10
The Spanish defender was handed a start here ahead of Eder Militao and David Alaba. While Nacho did not make too many mistakes, his performance was not anything spectacular either. He supported his central defensive partner, Antonio Rudiger, well and kept things simple at the back.
Antonio Rudiger: 8/10
Antonio Rüdiger vs Shakhtar:
• 1 goal
• 91% pass accuracy
• 5 clearances
• 7 duels won
• 6 ball recoveries
• 4 tackles
• 3 interceptions
• 1 blockWarrior. pic.twitter.com/MpWyLAKFN7
— TC (@totalcristiano) October 11, 2022
The German international produced an outstanding performance for his side on the night. Rudiger impressed with his no-nonsense approach at the back and scored the all-important equaliser for the visitors.
Ferland Mendy: 5/10
The young left-back was recently rested against Getafe, and he was brought into the starting lineup to add some defensive quality and sharpness going forward. However, Mendy seemed off pace on the night and struggled defensively. The Frenchman was directly responsible for the game’s opening goal as he was caught out of position.
Toni Kroos: 8/10
The German international was undoubtedly the pick of the midfielders on the night. Kroos kept the play ticking with his accurate passing and managed to create the late equaliser for his compatriot with an impressive long-range pass.
1 – Against Shakhtar Donetsk, Toni Kroos 🇩🇪 was the player with the most chances created (5), passes completed (108 out of 115), total touches (139) and recoveries (12, level with Nacho Fernández 🇪🇸) in the game. Machine. pic.twitter.com/vdjyuDJSOb
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 11, 2022
Aurelien Tchouameni: 5/10
An uncharacteristic performance from the French defensive midfielder. Tchouameni has been excellent since joining Real Madrid, but he struggled to help his side dominate the midfield battle on the night. He failed to break up the play consistently and win the ball back.
Federico Valverde: 5/10
The Uruguayan midfielder work relentlessly on and off the ball. But he was ineffective going forward, and his passing seemed wayward at times.
Eden Hazard: 2/10
The Belgian international has been a major disappointment for Real Madrid, and Tuesday night was no different. Hazard is a shadow of the player he used to be at Chelsea, and he produced another ineffective performance on the night.
2 – Eden Hazard 🇧🇪 has only been involved in two goals in his 10 starts for Real Madrid in the Champions League, a penalty goal against Inter Milan in November 2020 and an assist against Galatasaray in October 2019. Opportunity. pic.twitter.com/K9mE2Xu7z4
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 11, 2022
Karim Benzema: 4/10
The French striker, the player to watch in our preview, has not been at his best since returning from injury, and he struggled throughout the game. Furthermore, Benzema’s teammates failed to create ample chances for him either.
Rodrigo Goes: 4/10
The Brazilian was mostly marked out of the game, and he was ineffective in the final third. A subdued performance from the young attacker.
SUBSTITUTES
Luka Modric: 6/10
The Croat was brought on to add some quality and creativity in the middle of the park, and he did just that.
Vinicius Junior: 5/10
The Brazilian arrived to add some spark in the final third and create the match-winning goal for his side. He had an impressive opportunity to score but failed to convert the chance.
Eduardo Camavinga: 4/10
Ancelotti brought the Frenchman on to assert more control, but he barely had any impact.
Marco Asensio: 5/10
Real Madrid certainly improved creatively after Asensio’s introduction, but he failed to create a clear-cut chance for his teammates.
David Alaba: N/A
Ancelotti brough Alaba on too late to make any meaningful impact.
