Player Ratings: Atletico Madrid 1 - 1 Real Madrid ; 2021 La Liga

Zinedine Zidane’s men leave the Wanda with a point. The performance left a lot to be desired, with Real Madrid’s attacking game plan was once again found wanting. But, Thibaut Courtois came up big with some huge saves and Casemiro popped up at the right place at the right time to link-up with Benzema and steal a point. Full match ratings below:

Thibaut Courtois—8.5: Spoke before the game about being undervalued by fans and analysts in Belgium and he will likely be curious to see their feedback after today’s match. Courtois came up with four big saves inside the box during the 90 minutes and was critical to keeping Madrid alive in this match.

Lucas Vazquez—7: One of the better performers for Madrid on the night. Had the difficult task of tracking Lemar and Carrasco’s runs, but dealt well with the latter in 1 v 1 scenarios. Delivered 3 key passes and had 4 tackles completed.

Raphael Varane—5.5: Slow on the ball when building out of the back. Had some strange decisions, playing Courtois and Mendy into difficult spots. Could have stepped sooner to Marcos Llorente on Atleti’s go-ahead goal.

Nacho—5: Not Nacho’s best day at the office despite previously showing a good run of form. Over-committed on a challenge to win the ball against Marcos Llorente, which freed his former teammate to blitz down the pitch and help feed Luis Suarez for the opening goal.

Ferland Mendy—4.5: Non-factor in this match. Struggled to deal with the trio of Correa, Llorente, and Trippier. Lost possession 18 times – joint highest on the team with Casemiro. Popped up in the left advanced half space quite often, but his touch was too heavy and never looked comfortable with his back to goal.

Casemiro—7: What to say about Casemiro, I guess this was a good game? He will go down as the hero for his link up with Benzema in the final minutes of the game to score the equalizer, but is Zidane getting the best out of this team by having Casemiro be the figure in between the lines to link up with his striker? The Brazilian should take a brunt of the blame for the goal scored by Atleti, as he waited far too long to shift over close down Luis Suarez.

Luka Modric—6: The Croatian has been quiet in his last few games, spurring questions of fatigue.

Toni Kroos—8.5: Alongside Thibaut Courtois, was one of Madrid’s best players. A team high of 116 touches and 95 passes with a 94% pass accuracy, including 14/14 long balls. The German dictated the flow of the game for Madrid but lacked vertical options and direct runners when on the ball. He needed more support from his teammates.

Marco Asensio—3: 0 shots, 0 dribbles completed, a mere 30 touches, and loss possession 9 times. Marco Asensio once again went missing.

Rodrygo—3: Felt like this game came too soon for the young Brazilian. Easily nudged off the ball and devoid of ideas. Like Asensio, had 0 shots, 0 dribbles completed (did at least attempt 3), a mere 34 touches, and loss possession 10 times.

Karim Benzema—7: Managed to play the full 90 minutes despite his recent injury woes. Was often the only source of Madrid’s attacks alongside Kroos and Casemiro. Had a total of 4 shots, all of which were on target – including two shots which he arguably should have done better on, allowing Oblak to make two massive saves. Did eventually get his goal and gives Madrid a fighting chance in the title scrap.

Substitutions:

Vinicius JR—7: Made a positive impact after entering the match. Produced more in his 30 minutes, then either of Asensio or Rodrygo in 60. Played a gorgeous outside of the foot pass to lay a ball on a platter for Karim Benzema who somehow failed to score.

Fede Valverde—6.5: Provided fresh legs, a vertical approach, and more dynamic runs off the ball.