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It’s back to winning ways for Real Madrid as the clubs earns three points with a 1-0 victory against Sevilla. Though a static (and somewhat boring) game, Zinedine Zidane’s team found a way to grind out a win. Ahead of a tough schedule, it should be a boost in morale for the club.
Here are the player ratings.
Thibaut Courtois - 7: Good stop on Luuk De Jong’s bicycle kick and the other bicycle kick from Lucas Ocampos in the 85th minute. Earns the clean sheet but drops a few points with his 45% pass completion rate.
Lucas Vazquez - 8: Very strong performance from the Spaniard who did his job perfectly. Disciplined at the back but also eager to find open space when moving forward. Finished with five dribbles and two tackles plus some strong crosses into the box.
Raphael Varane - 7.5: Makes up for some rough performances as of late. Multiple interceptions in the first half plus strong blocks in the second, especially on Ivan Rakitic’s attempt. Partnered well with Nacho. Finished one aerial duel, one tackle and one shot.
Nacho - 7.5: Stabilized the backline alongside Varane and covered a lot of ground when Mendy and Vazquez pushed up. Finished with five aerial duels won, five tackles and one shot.
Ferland Mendy - 7.5: Decent performance from Mendy. Linked up well with Vini throughout the first half and provided the assist for the winning goal.
Luka Modric - 8: Props to the Croatian for playing the entire 90 mins. Tonight he was in a deeper role and was an added defensive strength for the team. Some sweet touches and handled pressure well. Also dispossessed once but had the highest pass completion (92%) and one dribble.
Casemiro - 7: Mixed reviews. Good positioning helped Madrid defend but finished with 68% pass completion, dispossessed once and lucky to get away without a yellow a few times. Found the energy to play the entire match, hopefully fatigue won’t set in.
Toni Kroos - 8: Another classic Kroos performance. Ninety per cent pass completion, one tackle and two shots (one of which curled just wide). A few misplaced passes though and dispossessed once. He is human, after all.
Vini Jr - 7.5: Worked hard to get himself involved. Tries to be too fancy in some moments. While he was impressive, he was dispossessed three times, missed a sitter and needs to be better with his decision making. Redeems himself after forcing Yassine Bounou to make the mistake for the goal. Finished with five dribbles, one tackle and two shots.
Karim Benzema - 6.5: Easing his way back to full fitness but needed to be more involved, especially as the captain tonight. Couldn’t get the better side of his header opportunity and had a shot stopped. Finished with three shots, one aerial won and dispossessed once.
Rodrygo - 6: Really didn’t have much to offer tonight in attack but helped out defensively. Dispossessed twice. Was the only player substituted off (66 mins).
Substitutes
Marco Asensio - 6: Dropped to the bench and comes on for Rodrygo after 66 minutes. Had a solid 25 minutes to prove himself but couldn’t get too involed. Did well to pressure Sevilla into making quick decisions but still needs to find his groove in attack. Finished with one aerial duel won and one tackle.