2017 El Clásico Player Ratings (Real Madrid 0 - 3 Barcelona)

Sitting 11 points behind Barcelona with a game in hand, Real Madrid badly needed 3 points to get back into the league title race. Unfortunately, they lost, thanks to an abysmal second half showing.

Zidane opted for a surprise and started neither Gareth Bale or Isco. Instead, the Frenchman played Mateo Kovacic and ordered him to shadow Messi. The first half was back and forth, however, neither team was able to find the back of the net. Ronaldo might have had the best chance of the first 45 minutes, but unfortunately, he missed the cross for what should have been at least a shot on target. Paulinho had Barca’s two best chances of the half, but was denied by Keylor both times. With the Clasico halfway gone, both Madrid and Barcelona were tied at 0-0.

The second half was the exact opposite. Madrid started the second 45 about as bad as they possibly could, and after a red card, and 3 Barcelona goals, they likely threw away La Liga for good.

Keylor Navas: 8

The Costa Rican was up for the challenge today, saving 8 shots for Los Blancos. Although he was at partially at fault for the third goal (a goal where the build-up may or may not have gone out of bounds), Keylor did everything he could to keep Madrid in it, including a 2 great saves on Paulinho in the first half.

Marcelo: 5

Marcelo did well going forward early on, but faded as the match went on. He was caught too far forward by Sergi Roberto on Barcelona’s first goal down the left flank.

Raphael Varane: 7

Varane was not at fault for any of Barcelona’s goals as his midfield left him exposed throughout. The Frenchman often did well to break Barca’s high press, and used his pace effectively.

Sergio Ramos: 5

Not a strong showing from Madrid’s captain. He was composed in the first half and was combative throughout, however, he lost track of Paulinho at least once in the first half, leading to scoring chances.

Dani Carvajal: 3

One of Carvajal’s worst showings in a Madrid jersey. He offered little going forward, and Suarez scored from the space behind Dani for the opener. Carvajal was sent off for a handball that denied a goal, as the resulting penalty effectively ended the match.

Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Casemiro: 5

He was good in the first half, but like his teammates he faded in the second. Casemiro was completely absent from the middle of the pitch as Rakitic marauded down the middle before the opener.

Mateo Kovacic: 6

He marked Messi as well as one can in the first half, but he was obviously not fully match fit. Kovacic was partially at fault for the first goal as he should have abandoned Messi to try and stop Rakitic’s break. He also did little going forward.

Toni Kroos: 5.5

Tasked with binding the attack and midfield, the German struggled to do so. He did have a good cutback that Ronaldo arguably should have scored, but he just didn’t seem his usual cyborg-like self.

Luka Modric: 6.5

Luka had more passes than any other Madrid player, but he faded in the second half, especially after Carvajal was sent off.

Karim Benzema: 4

The calls for Benzema’s head will only grow louder after today’s match. Outside of a header sent off the post, it was a toothless performance.

Cristiano Ronaldo: 5.5

Ronaldo started brightly, even heading in a goal before it was ruled offside. From there, Ronaldo did little to impact the game. He missed a great chance from a Kroos cutback, and selfishly chose to shoot instead of cutting it back for someone else at times. He was not Madrid’s worst performer, but Real Madrid needed more from their talisman on the day.

Nacho Fernandez (Substitute): 6

He was brought in to shore up the backline after Carvajal’s sending off. He did well to stop Messi in one instance, but he was thrown into a tough spot.

Gareth Bale (Substitute): 7

Bale helped bring a sense of urgency to Madrid when he came on. He had a tap-in that would have cut the deficit in half saved by Ter Stegen and the Welshman was lively with the time he was given.

Marco Asensio (Substitute): 5.5

Marco was unable to make the same impact as Bale during his time on the pitch.

Team Average: 5.64

Man of the Match: Keylor Navas