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Diego López: A Diego wasn't required to make any miraculous save tonight, in part thank to another solid game by his defenders. He faced a few long shots but had no trouble clearing them.
Dani Carvajal: A- Really good game by the young RB. He's keeps improving as a defender and you know you got something special when he decides to attack. Tonight, his only problem was with that last pass.
Raphael Varane: A He was Real Madrid's best defender tonight. He's a very tough defender and one that will keep biting whoever has the ball. Obviously, he could use more playing time to improve but at least tonight, h
Pepe: B+ Another solid performance by Pepe. No complaints about him as a defender, but he could've easily seen the red card on an unnecessary, dirty play.
Marcelo: B- The Brazilian had some bright plays on defence and his usual struggles too. He's not perfect and at times it looks like he relaxes a bit too much, but he offers something no other player does as a constant threat to opposing defences.
Xabi Alonso: B- Xabi didn't dictate the pace for the team as he usually does. Instead, he was mainly focused on defending and he was really good at it.
Luka Modric: C+ Not his best match but a solid one nonetheless. He and Di María often got near Málaga's box but couldn't create meaningful chances. Heavily involved but like many of his teammates, he wasn't as sharp as he usually is.
Isco: D When Benzema was in, he was playing way too close to Ronaldo at times. In the second half, he missed a big, big opportunity to give his team a two-goal lead. Unfortunately, he was also inaccurate and often looked lost.
Gareth Bale: A- Man of the match. Bale was heavily involved in the game. He contributed on Cristiano's goal and should've been awarded two penalty kicks. He wasn't as dangerous in the second half, but he kept coming back and forth to help his teammates. He really deserved a goal.
Cristiano Ronaldo: B+ He gave Real Madrid a 1-0 lead in the first half with a fantastic goal. He kept challenging Caballero but the GK didn't allow any more goals. He just never stopped trying.
Karim Benzema: - Unfortunately, he was injured by Cristiano Ronaldo and had to leave the game in the 30th minute.
Carlo Ancelotti: C Benzema's injury didn't help him as he had to burn one substitution early in the game. That one (Di María) was the only one that worked for him. To be fair, Jesé didn't sound like a bad move at the time but the young forward had a very poor game. The main problem is that he took forever to adjust and make that final substitution, especially with tired players like Alonso and Bale.
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Ángel Di María: B+ Replacing an injured Benzema, he was one of he most dangerous players on the pitch. He kept orchestrating the counter attack for Real Madrid, including one that was wasted by Isco. His final pass/cross could've been better.
Jesé: D Poor game by Big Flow. He rarely touched the ball and when he did, he couldn't do a lot with it. He had a chance to deliver a killer cross near the end of the game but Caballero stopped it. As one of subs, he should've helped a lot more on defence. Bale and even Cristiano did.
Asier Illarramendi: - He had less than five minutes so it's impossible to grade him.