Player Ratings: Real Mallorca 0-3 Real Madrid; 2022 La Liga

After digesting the euphoria of Wednesday evening’s match against PSG in the Champions League, Real Madrid had to re-focus their attention to La Liga. An away trip to Mallorca ensued with the potential of pushing the gap at the top of the table to +10 points over nearest rival, Sevilla. Eder Militao missed the match with cold-like symptoms, but otherwise Carlo Ancelotti had the full squad to choose from. In addition to Militao, both Carvajal and Luka Modric were rested with Lucas Vazquez and Fede Valverde occupying their spots in the starting XI. A tough and physical first half was followed by a more open second half where goals from Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema secured the win. Full match player ratings below:

Thibaut Courtois—7: Another clean sheet and a fairly easy day at the office for the big Belgian. Made 3 saves with only 1 coming from a shot inside the box.

Lucas Vazquez—7: Team high of 6 tackles, including a couple on Real Madrid loanee, Take Kubo. A good outlet on the right who progressed the ball with his ball carrying ability.

Nacho—6: Kept Angel Rodriguez quiet and was safe in possession.

David Alaba—6.5: Dealt well with the physically imposing Muriqi. Mallorca offered little threat offensively and Alaba could focus on building possession out of the back.

Ferland Mendy—6: Rarely tested by Dani Rodriguez or Maffeo. Came off injured in the 80th minute and will be a close call for Sunday’s match against Barcelona.

Casemiro—7: Came close to a booking on more than one occasion. Was critical in winning the “second ball” after initial aerial duel.

Toni Kroos—6: Still finding his rhythm after injury. Looked slightly off the pace, but still managed 107 touches and 84 passes (team high).

Fede Valverde—5.5: Battled hard and imposed one or two crunching tackles early in the first half, but never truly made his mark on the match.

Vinicius Junior—8: A difficult battle up against Pablo Maffeo, who was out for blood. The young Spanish fullback tried everything to get into Vinicius’ head, but it was not enough. The Brazilian scored the go-ahead goal, had 5 key passes, was fouled 4 times, and had 3 completed dribbles.

Rodrygo—7: A dynamic playmaker on the right side, varying his starting position both centrally and wide. Came off with a blow to the ankle in the 71st minute.

Karim Benzema—9: The Frenchman has had an unbelievable season and his rich vein of form cotinued in Mallorca with two goals and one assist. Came off with an injury late in the game and will be a major doubt for El Clasico.

Substitutions:

Marcelo—8: An assist and a goal-denying tackle in just 10 minutes on the pitch.

Luka Modric—6: Played the final 30 minutes in place of Fede Valverde and kept things ticking for Madrid.

Eduardo Camavinga—6: Replaced Casemiro as the lone single pivot. Used his long legs and anticipation to complete 3 tackles in just 30 minutes.

Dani Carvajal—4: One moment of the match included a poor giveaway that nearly led to a Mallorca goal scoring opportunity.

Marco Asensio—5: Played the final 19 minutes in his hometown of Mallorca and only had 12 touches and 7 passes.