Player Ratings: Real Madrid 1 - 0 Liverpool; 2023 UEFA Champions League Round of 16

Real Madrid have secured their passage to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League with a high-energy and professional performance vs Liverpool.

Full match player ratings below:

Thibaut Courtois—8: The big Belgian never faced a guilt-edge opportunity from Liverpool, but did come up with five saves on the night.

Dani Carvajal—5: Struggled under the Liverpool press and had some nervy back-passes that were nearly intercepted by the Reds.

Eder Militao—8.5: Continues his dramatic improvement on the ball, which includes carrying the ball from out of the back to break lines and open space. Hunted and hounded anything that came his way defensively. A stalwart defensively, who loves a game against Liverpool.

Toni Rudiger—8.5: Great game from the German, who looked up for the occasion and produced one of his best matches in a Real Madrid shirt. Was always there to cover mistakes from fullbacks, including a dangerous backwards pass from Carvajal early on. Put his body on the line and was a vocal leader throughout the match.

Nacho—8: Mr. Reliable continues to perform, no matter the position. Center back on the weekend but left back tonight vs Liverpool. Handled the 1 v 1 challenge of Salah and was composed under pressure when on the ball.

Eduardo Camavinga—9: A coming of age story for Eduardo Camavinga in 2023. He has earned his current status as a starter and made that emphatically known in his performance tonight. Hit the crossbar with a shot from outside the box. Had a fluid rotation with Toni Kroos, both drifting vice-versa from defensive midfield to the interior position.

Toni Kroos—8.5: Incredible performance. Near-perfect in every pass and continually slipped vertical dagger balls through Liverpool’s open formation.

Luka Modric—8: Not visible to the naked eye, but Modric ran tirelessly to fill gaps and block passing lanes as well as provide an outlet or a late arriving run in the attack. In a vintage Modric moment, juggled the ball over TAA before flinging a left footed cross to Valverde in the center of the box.

Fede Valverde—7.5: Best when he was combining with Modric and bursting through central parts of the pitch with the ball at his feet. His off-ball runs gave Andy Robertson countless headaches. Slipped through by Benzema in the early parts of the second half and should have scored his 1 v 1 with Alisson. Later connected with a Modric cross that he headed over the bar — another chance that likely should have been a goal.

Vinicius Junior—8.5: The Brazilian thrived in the chaotic game-state with Liverpool leaving plenty of open space for him to run. He tortured Alexander Arnold. Nearly scored in the first half after connecting with a Rudiger header across goal, but Alisson made a big save. Set-up Benzema on multiple occasions, and finally got his due assist late in the game.

Karim Benzema—6.5: Most agile and quick Benzema has looked all season, but the final shot and some of his passing were lacking tonight. Despite some of his struggles, managed to score the game-winner by being in the right place at the right time.

Substitutions:

Rodrygo—6: Game was won after Benzema’s goal and Ancelotti made a flurry of changes. Brazilian had a near penalty call after his shot deflected off of Tsimikas’ hand.

Dani Ceballos—7: Late change for Modric. Had one moment where he weaved through multiple Liverpool defenders and drew applause from the Bernabeu. Also played a defense splitting pass to Vazquez after nicking the ball off of Camavinga.

Lucas Vazquez—N/A: Played the final minutes at right back for Carvajal.

Marco Asensio—N/A: Stationed on the left after providing a late substitution for Vinicius.