Player Ratings: Real Madrid 2 - Osasuna 0; 2019 La Liga

With an away trip to the Wanda Metropolitano lurking around the corner, Zidane made no less than eight changes to his starting XI. After a slow opening half hour, Madrid found some life through a beautiful goal from Vinicius Junior. The 19-year-old placed his shot in the top corner of the net with the utmost precision. Osasuna barely threatened due to an impressive first La Liga start for Eder Militao, who formed a formidable tandem with Sergio Ramos. Madrid produced an xG of 1.99 vs Osasuna’s 0.11. A disallowed goal from Luka Jovic would not prevent Madrid from securing a second. Rodyrgo Goes, only 95 seconds after his La Liga debut, scored a fantastic goal to give Madrid some breathing room. Despite the heavily rotated squad, Zidane’s men secured a good result with a lot of impressive individual performances. Full match ratings below:

Areola—8: First game, first clean sheet — another match with no shots on target from the opposition. Produced a superb highlight, intercepting a cross —much like an NFL receiver would— with one hand, almost palming the ball. Looked calm and assured with the ball at his feet, a very encouraging debut.

Alvaro Odriozola—6.5: A good display from the right back, following his unimpressive start to the season against Celta. Had one moment of brilliance where he rampaged down the right flank, beating two defenders with his speed and athleticism, and then slid a low driven ball across the face of the goal which was just missed by the Real Madrid attack.

Eder Militao—8: It’s still very early days, but the Brazilian looks to be another top class signing. His pace, physique, composure, 1 v 1 defending, and his ability to anticipate danger and read the game were all impressive.

Sergio Ramos—8: Followed up his great display in Seville with another quality performance. Produced a team high of 7 clearances.

Nacho—5.5: Still yet to regain his old form. Was overly aggressive in the tackle, leading to needless fouls. Improved as the game wore on, but will need minutes to rediscover the old Nacho.

Casemiro—8: The Brazilian is in a fine run of form. His assist on Rodrygo’s goal was perfectly measured with just the right amount of flight and distance. With 3 tackles and a team high of 6 interceptions, he was a stalwart defensively as well.

Toni Kroos—8.5: Brought a little bit of everything to his game. With a team high of 4 shots, Kroos nearly found the back of the net with his standard laser of a shot. Produced the assist on the goal for Vinicius and had a team high of 4 key passes. Once again, did a better job of tracking his man defensively and had 2 tackles along with 2 interceptions.

Fede Valverde—6.5: For a kid just coming back from injury, Fede put in an unbelievable amount of work and the Bernabeu recognized it with a rousing applause. Did not necessarily stand out offensively nor defensively, but put in a solid shift within the midfield three.

Lucas Vazquez—8: A constant attacking threat, did really well with the final ball, nearly providing 2 assists for Jovic had he finished the chances.

Vinicius JR—7: The opening half hour was rough for the young Brazilian. He attempted to beat his defender and try tricks near the halfway line rather than the final third. He misplaced some passes and even heard the whistles from the Bernabeu. One moment of brilliance changed everything, a goal curled into the upper 90 from just outside the 18-yard box saw the young Brazilian collapse to the ground full of emotion. From there a weight was lifted and the confidence was obvious. Vincius was at the heart of a lot of Madrid’s good play and nearly nabbed an assist to add to his end production on the night.

Luka Jovic—6: The Serbian can’t buy a goal right now. Had two guilt-edge opportunities that should have been converted. On his third attempt, he did score and it felt like the dam had finally broken. But, VAR would rule the goal offside, by no more than a mere inch.

Substitutions:

Rodrygo Goes—8: Came on in the 70th minute for Vinicius and scored within 90 seconds of his La Liga debut. The control he demonstrated and the confidence to take on his man and tuck the ball into the back of net showed maturity well beyond his years.

James Rodriguez—N/A: Came on in the 81st minute for Fede Valverde and the game was already wrapped up.