Player Ratings: Real Madrid 2 - Celta Vigo 0; 2020/21 La Liga

Real Madrid grab three points from their first match of the new year with a 2-0 win over Celta Vigo.

It didn’t long for Zinedine Zidane’s side to bounce back from dropping points against Elche and they came out looking to stunt Celta’s recent form.

See player ratings below.

Thibaut Courtois — 7.5: Lucky not to get chipped early on in the match by Aspas. Didn’t have much to do from then on. Solid night and earns another clean sheet.

Dani Carvajal — 7: Inches away from making it 2-0 on his volley but it couldn’t fall. Finished with one shot, two dribbles and one tackle. Subbed off after 85 minutes but earned a yellow in the process which sees him miss the away match against Osasuna.

Nacho— 8: Let Aspas slip by him in the opening minutes but redeemed himself by clear the chip attempt. Tackled Aspas which unfortunately forced him off. Very Ramos-like tonight and came up clutch in the dying moments to keep a clean sheet. Finished with one aerial won, three tackles and 93% pass completion.

Raphael Varane — 7.5: A few miss-cued passes and a bit rushed at times but grew into the game and managed the back well with Nacho. Finished with one aerial won.

Ferland Mendy — 7.5: Back in the lineup over Marcelo. Poor attempts on goal and didn’t get involved too much up top but he keeps his winning streak alive in La Liga. Finished with two shots, one dribble, one aerial won and two tackles.

Casemiro — 7.5: A couple of giveaways in the opening 20 minutes and made a few runs to try and break forward. Grew into the game over time. Finished with two aerials won and four tackles.

Luka Modric — 8: Great pass to get the second goal in motion. Was all over the pitch tonight and read the run of his teammates very well. Finished with one shot, one dribble, one tackle and 93% pass completion. Subbed off after 85 mins.

Toni Kroos— 8: Another classic Kroos performance. Dropped back to help in defence. Played a beautiful ball in to tee up Benzema. Finished with one shot, 94% pass completion, two aerials won, one tackle and two key passes. Subbed off after 85 minutes.

Lucas Vazquez — 9: The first player to score this year with his header in the sixth minute. Later returned the favour and assisted Asensio. Hit top speed tonight and moved into right-back when Carvajal went off (he sometimes helped in defence beforehand, too). Finished with one shot, four aerials won and one tackle and three key passes.

Karim Benzema — 8: Was quiet in the first half but tried to find the target in the second. Good runs to pull Real’s attack forward. Pulled a shot just wide and skied another chance over the bar. Finished with two shots, one dribble, one aerial won, one tackle and one key pass. Subbed off in injury time.

Marco Asensio — 8.5: Another confidence-boosting performance. Great run and determination to tee up Vazquez for the opening goal. Looked eager to get on the ball and find his teammates in the box. Drew lots of fouls. Scored the second of the night and surely wasn’t going to miss the opportunity. Finished with one shot, one dribble and one key pass. Subbed in the 75th minute.

Substitutes:

Eden Hazard — 6.5: On for Asensio in the 75th minute. Looked eager to tee up with Kroos and Benzema but couldn’t get too involved.

Fede Valverde — 6: On in the 85th minute for Kroos but couldn’t get too involved either.

Martin Ødegaard — 6.5: On in the 85th minute for Modric. Had one key pass to tee up Benzema’s second shot.

Vini Jr. — 6: On in the 85th minute when Carvajal went off. Nothing noteworthy.

Mariano Diaz — N/A: Selected over Luka Jovic to replace Benzema in injury time.