Player Ratings: Levante 1 - Real Madrid 0; 2020 La Liga

Real Madrid will enter El Clasico next weekend two points behind their eternal rival. They leave the Ciutat de Valencia empty handed after missing countless opportunities coupled with the poor performance of referee, Hernandez Hernandez. The mindset will have to switch heading into the two biggest matches of the season. Isco and Varane were among the bright spots for Madrid, but the team desperately lacked a clinical touch. Full match ratings below:

Thibaut Courtois—5: A goalkeeper should rarely ever be beaten at his near post and Morales’ goal, as powerful a volley as it was, should have been saved by the Belgian.

Dani Carvajal—5: The fullback was a constant outlet down the right flank, but had no targets for his crosses in the box.

Raphael Varane—7: The Frenchman was a monster in the back for Madrid. Cleared what would have been a certain goal for Levante by sticking his leg out and blocking the cross with his shin. Made another last ditch tackle late in the game on Borja Mayoral to stop Levante from going up by two goals.

Sergio Ramos—7: Unfairly booked early on by Hernandez Hernandez, but kept his composure the rest of the game. Pinged inch perfect diagonal switches to Carvajal which helped Madrid exploit Levante’s weak side.

Marcelo—5: The Brazilian is all attack, all the time. Essentially played as a left winger in this match. For how advanced he was up the pitch, his offensive contribution and pure end product, was severely lacking.

Casemiro—6.5: Another solid performance from the Brazilian, he’s not to blame for Madrid’s loss.

Luka Modric—6: Picked the right passes when on the ball and looked to break lines with his dribbling. Did look a bit labored and leg heavy when trying to defend in transition.

Toni Kroos—5.5: Uncharacteristically quiet game from the German, who had little influence on the match.

Isco—7.5: All of Madrid’s best opportunities came from Isco’s feet. He put it on a plate for Benzema twice. The Spaniard managed to find pockets of space dropping off the backline in Levante’s final third. Had 4 key passes in the first half alone.

Eden Hazard—5: Worked tirelessly on both sides of the ball, but lacked conviction and a bit of selfishness in the final third. Missed a golden opportunity to give Madrid the lead after being played clear through on goal.

Karim Benzema—4: Missed two golden opportunities in the first half after being played through on a 1 v 1 each time by Isco. Has lacked a finishing touch over the last couple of months and Madrid are now desperate for a goal-scorer.

Substitutions:

Vinicius JR—6.5: Looked incredibly fast on the left wing, burning players at will. Did create one perfect opportunity, again for Benzema, but Levante got a toe to the ball.

Lucas Vazquez—6: Created one good opportunity after swinging his left foot through the ball and nearly finding Benzema on the end of the play.

Fede Valverde—N/A: Substituted too late into the match, why did Zidane wait so long to introduce the Uruguayan?