Ronaldo’s first half brace was enough for Real Madrid to see off Sporting Gijon, despite an attempted comeback from the visitors, including a missed penalty in the 2nd half.
Los Blancos are now 7 points ahead of 2nd placed Barcelona prior to the Catalan’s visit to Anoeta to play Real Sociedad. With their unbeaten run now stretched to 31 games ahead of next weekend’s El Classico, Madrid are undoubtedly in the form of their life.
Gijon couldn’t provide enough troubles for Madrid despite the rain, and the slim goal margin should have been increased if Ronaldo and Benzema converted some chances that went begging.
Here is a breakdown of how Zidane’s invincibles performed.
Navas
Had no chance to get his hands near Carlos Carmona’s placed flick in the 35th minute no matter how much he stretched.
He, however, made some great saves on the wet pitch, excluding the penalty that was blasted over the bar, to keep Madrid in the lead till the end.
Rating : 8/10
Danilo
Stood in for Carvajal who was rested for the El Classico, and the Brazilian gave a good account of his worth and abilities in the 2nd half having struggled to contain Isma Lopez’s runs and brilliance in the first.
Rating : 6/10
Pepe
The Portuguese was at the receiving end of some harsh tackles but still managed to remain on the pitch to give his usual best upon his return to the lineup after attaining full recovery.
Rating : 7/10
Sergio Ramos
The skipper didn’t only make some timely clearances, he also came close to extending Madrid’s 2-goal lead prior to Gijon’s goal with an over-head kick that unluckily struck the bar.
Rating : 7/10
Nacho
Assisted Ronaldo’s 2nd goal with a fine cross but could have cost Madrid 2 points after a foul on Victor resulted in a spot kick for the visitors. He has Čop to thank for wasting the opportunity to complete a deserved comeback.
Rating : 6/10
Modric
He just hasn’t been in his best form since returning from injury, and he misplaced another pass against Sporting in Madrid’s half, just like he did against Lisbon in the Champions League.
This time around, he got punished for it as the visitors got their goal thanks to him. Apart from the error, Modric had a good game.
Rating : 6/10
Kovacic
Another solid display from the youngster that might have earned him a strong claim for his first El Classico start.
He put in another terrific box-to-box performance in midfield and did well to protect his back four.
Rating : 7/10
Lucas Vazquez
Not his best performance, perhaps due to the weather and pitch conditions. But he did make some great movements and came close to scoring.
Won the penalty for Madrid and also whipped an inch-perfect cross into the box that Benzema should have scored.
Rating : 6/10
James
Didn’t do much to justify his start and was really quite for much of the game until his withdrawal.
Rating : 5/10
Ronaldo
Could have had another perfect performance by following up with another hat-trick after his Madrid derby heroics.
A well-hit penalty and well-placed header saw him notch his 9th and 10th La Liga goals of the season and had a chance to score his 11th very late on in the clash having dashed towards the visitor’s goal metres from the centre circle only to shoot straight at Gijon’s goalie.
Rating : 9/10
Benzema
Looked missing for the majority of the time and failed to ease the pressure on the hosts as he missed a clear-cut opportunity from within few yards, choosing to direct a header right into Diego Marino’s hands.
Zidane might be left with no option than to consider dropping the French striker from the starting lineup for the Classico.
Rating : 5/10
SUBSTITUTES
Marcelo
Couldn’t do much upon his introduction with around 18 minutes to go.
Rating : Not Available
Asensio
Came on at the same as the Brazilian full-back.
Rating : Not Available
Isco
Won a corner during the 9 minutes he spent on the pitch.
Rating : Not Available