It took a good portion of the match, but Real Madrid were able to find a second goal and three points in their home fixture against Eibar on Saturday.

Zidane went with a 3-4-3 formation given some of the injuries with the squad. It seemed to work as Real Madrid dominated the match and were able to secure the victory. Offensively, Real had three goals waved off due to offsides. Defensively, Real were locked in and were able to pitch a clean sheet at home.

Player Ratings

Thibaut Courtois—8.5: He put forth a solid effort putting up a clean sheet, especially how long Real sat on a one-goal lead. Eibar had four shots on target, but nothing too dangerous. There was a moment in the second half where the rain carried the ball past him, but he recovered and cleared his line. This would’ve put Eibar level.

Eder Militao—8.5: For a player who hasn’t really played much he played real solid alongside Nacho. He was calm and collected at the back and a key contributor for keeping the clean sheet. His only knock is his uncomfortable passing, which prevents him from a higher score here.

Nacho—8.5: He has done everything he’s been asked to do given Sergio Ramos’ injuries this season. He put forth another great effort and avoided any yellow cards. He gave the ball away a couple of times, but stayed composed and was solid overall.

Ferland Mendy—8: There’s not too much to say here. He was solid defensively and was able to cover for the left side of Marcelo and Isco in front of him.

Lucas Vazquez—7.5: He was fairly solid overall. He had a few shots and was able to contribute to the offensive effort. He struggled a bit defensively with Bryan Gil at times, but no costly mistakes.

Luka Modric—8.5: After becoming Croatia’s most capped player, he was the engine behind Real Madrid today. His passing was great and led to a few offensive chances for the team. He played a little deeper than usual given Toni Kroos’ absence, but still made some great plays.

Casemiro—8.5: He assisted and had a goal waived off due to offsides. He was also strong defensively in midfield. He had a chance to draw a penalty as well as he was pulled down in the box, but no call was given. He was really everywhere and compensated for not having a four-man backline.

Marcelo—8.5: He worked really well in a left wingback role given he had someone behind him to cover defensively. He had a lot of freedom to roam and generate passing while consistently swapping positions with Isco. This looked to be one of Marcelo’s better performances and it’s a position he seems to work best in currently.

Marco Asensio—8.5: This was one of his best starting appearances in a while. He’s been playing better as of recent, mainly as a substitution. Here, he was able to score the opening goal, have another goal ruled off and was a consistent threat his entire start. He looked very focused and this is the type of performance the club needs to see out of him more consistently.

Isco—8.5: He was a threat for the squad and put forth a great showing in a rare starting appearance. He had five key passes and created several chances. He and Marcelo worked well together in interchanging to generate offense.

Karim Benzema—8: Like Asensio and Casemiro, he had a goal ruled out for offsides. He looked off for a portion of the match and was struggling to find the net. He arrived in the second half and scored the dagger that saw Real Madrid through to victory. He now has six goals in four matches.

Substitutions

Sergio Arribas—7.5: He came on for Isco in the second half. The 19-year-old looked very mature in this appearance and had great control of the ball defensively. He also almost had an assist on a Vinicius chance. He continues to surprise and it’s clear why Zidane is putting trust in this youngster.

Toni Kroos—7: He swapped in for Modric and was his first appearance back after missing time with Germany. Not much to say here that stands out, he was solid and is looking for preparation before the Liverpool match.

Rodrygo—6.5: Came in for the very good Asensio and was a bit lackluster. He didn’t generate much and it was a clear downgrade from the starting position.

Vinicius—7.5: Played well coming on for Marcelo. He provided instant results assisting Benzema on the closing goal. He also almost had a goal himself but missed the chance.

Mariano—N/A: Came on much too late for Benzema to give a proper valuation.

Real Madrid now turns their attention to Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday and then El Clasico next weekend in a important match in the LaLiga title race.