Full match player ratings below:
Andriy Lunin—7: Some of the Ukranian’s distribution put teammates in a tough spot given Valencia’s high pressure. Had no real faults in either of Valencia two goals in the first half. Big save in the second half on Hugo Duro.
Dani Carvajal—5.5: Awful back pass to Lunin that led to Valencia’s second goal. Made amends with the assist to Vini on his first goal.
Rudiger—7: Good battle with Hugo Duro. Helped the team keep a high line and was there to sweep up counters.
Tchouameni—7: Solid distribution from the center back position.
Ferland Mendy—6: Kept Fran Perez quiet and overlapped more often in the attack. Found Jude Bellingham with a nice cut back in the second half that the Englishman nearly scored. Had another cut back to Toni Kroos that the German hit well over the bar.
Toni Kroos—4: Uncharacteristically, gave the ball away in dangerous areas for Valencia that led to counter attacks.
Fede Valverde—7: Found Carvajal in the right half space to create the first goal. Tested the Valencia goalkeeper with shots from outside the box. Fantastic slide tackle on Javi Guerra when the midfielder looked to burst through the middle of the box. It was the Uruguayan’s vertical pass into Joselu that started the play on Madrid’s second goal.
Eduardo Camavinga—6.5: One of the few bright spots in the first half, attempted to brake lines with his ball carrying.
Vinicius Junior—8: Relatively quiet first half but managed to get on the scoresheet just before halftime. Came up big again, scoring the equalizer with a header at the back post.
Rodrygo—3: Stationed on the right wing in this new 4-3-3 formation. Needed more touches from a player of his quality and needed to find more ways to connect with his teammates.
Jude Bellingham—6: Playing as the most advanced player in a 4-3–3 system getting him closer to the goal with less defensive responsibilities. Nearly scored from a Mendy cut back in the second half.
Substitutions:
Luka Modric—7: Intelligent pass to Brahim Diaz to open up the lane for Brahim on Madrid’s second goal.
Brahim—7: Provided the assist to Vini JR with an excellent dinked cross for Madrid’s second.
Joselu—6: Central target that played the wall pass into Modric for the Croatian to find Brahim on the second goal.
Fran Garcia—5: Incorrectly called for a penalty kick that the referee later overturned after reviewing the play. Nervy on the ball and played a poor back pass to Lunin late in the game.
Nacho—N/A: 85th minute substitution to move Tchouameni back into midfield.
Hasibur Rahaman is a passionate sports journalist. He covers everything from cricket to field hockey, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis of sporting events, both within India and on the international stage.
