Champions League Player Ratings: Manchester City 2-1 Real Madrid

The 2-1 home loss to Manchester City way back when which saw Sergio Ramos gain suspension for this fixture meant that Real Madrid would have to approach this at their very best in hope of a comeback. The recent resurgence in form leading to a league title win would surely have given many Madridistas some hope that it was more than possible. Dejectedly, it was not to be - and a shaky Madrid side failed to turn up, ultimately losing this tie by another 2-1 scoreline to bring the season to a close. This article will explore each player and their performances during the game, before determining a score out of ten to give them.

Photo by Chloe Knott - Danehouse/Getty Images

Thibaut Courtois — 6: Made a string of saves throughout the game, but was unable to stop either of the City goals. Despite his efforts, there were shaky patches, with some poor kicking and decision making.

Dani Carvajal — 5.5: Coped reasonably well for the most part, taking intelligent touches under pressure, but the pace of Raheem Sterling was too much during certain phases.

Éder Militão — 6: Maybe the best defender in pink on the night. Took the place of Sergio Ramos in the line-up, and looked a lot stronger on the ball than his partner - but still was regularly overwhelmed by the City attack.

Raphaël Varane — 2: Probably the worst performance I have seen from this man. His mistakes directly led to both City goals, and he constantly looked nervous on the ball. A rare stinker, but a terrible time to drop it.

Ferland Mendy — 6: Looked as dangerous as anyone else in pink going forward in the first half at times, but only contributed so much to the game.

Casemiro — 3: I think that Casemiro’s performance was barely better than Varane’s. Whilst he did look to force his presence in midfield, he barely managed to do anything correctly. Some of his passes were appalling, with one giveaway in-particular in his own half not even warranting a look before scuffing it to a blue shirt. Horror show.

Toni Kroos — 5: Kroos was five steps behind the complex City structure, and was unable to pull any strings. This may partly have been because of the job City did on him, but he also sprayed a few miscellaneous passes that really set a sorry tone.

Luka Modrić — 6.5: Luka continued to look sharp and agile, and along with Karim was probably Madrid’s best player. He showed up all over the pitch, and had the chance to really make things interesting after taking a good touch in the area and forced a block/save from Ederson.

Photo by Ricardo Nogueira/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Eden Hazard — 5.5: This was a huge chance for Eden to turn his fortunes around. There were question marks over his fitness prior to kick-off, but he did start. His game went the same way as the majority of his performances in Spain: some nice touches and moves, but no way near enough product. Next season expectations will he high.

Rodrygo Goes — 6: I was surprised to see Rodrygo in the line-up for this game, but he did provide the assist for Benzema after a darting run and good cross. Came off towards the hour mark for Marco Asensio to try and change things.

Karim Benzema — 6.5: Benzema’s headed goal made it feel like Madrid could actually snatch a result for a brief period of time. He also formed a part of most of Madrid’s best chances, and could well have really made the dream come true after cutting in and shooting at goal. The shot ended up being no trouble for Ederson, and the rest will be history.

Photo by Ricardo Nogueira/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Substitutions:

Marco Asensio — 5.5: Provided a fresh alternative after coming on for Rodrygo with half an hour to play, but did not have the impact he would have wished for. Still, he did not have the impact he would have wished for.

Lucas Vázquez: Came on when it was far too late, and made next to no impact. No rating.

Fede Valverde: Another player to come on towards the end of the game when all was lost. Unable to earn a rating.

Luka Jović: Right choice at the wrong time to make it three in a row. No rating.

Photo by Peter Powell/Pool via Getty Images

Over the two legs, Real Madrid were outplayed in pretty much every department by Manchester City. At one point it looked like Madrid may just pull it off, but in reality they never really showed up. That spells an end to a season like no other. What did you think of the game? Was this result as you expected? Catch you all next season.