Home » Article » Ronaldo Rises To The Occasion – The Best And The Worst Rated Real Madrid Players vs Bayern Munich

Ronaldo Rises To The Occasion – The Best And The Worst Rated Real Madrid Players vs Bayern Munich

Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid

Full Time: Bayern Munich 1-2 Real Madrid

Real Madrid came back from being a goal down to beat Bayern Munich 2-1 at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday night in the first leg of their quarterfinals tie of the UEFA Champions League.

The Die Roten went ahead in the first-half, courtesy of a bullet header from midfielder Arturo Vidal from a set-piece. The Chilean then spurned two great opportunities to drive home his team’s advantage by missing a close-range header before blazing one over from the penalty spot.

Cristiano Ronaldo equalized for Madrid soon after the restart, following some good work from Dani Carvajal and the visitors started putting Bayern under pressure from then on. But the home team survived due to some brilliant stops from Manuel Neuer in goal. Defender Javi Martinez received his marching orders, handing over the advantage to Madrid, who managed to complete the comeback with Ronaldo poking him from Marco Asensio’s sublime cross.

Here is how the Madrid players fared on the night:

Keylor Navas – 6/10

There wasn’t much he could do to keep Vidal’s powerful headed effort. Apart from that the Bayern players failed to work him enough. Dealt well with high crosses.

Dani Carvajal – 8/10

The full-back was a tireless performer on the night as he ran up and down the flank managing both his defensive and attacking responsibilities really well. Very unlucky to have conceded the penalty. Set up the opener for Ronaldo with a fine cut-back.

Nacho – 6/10

Came into the line-up due to Pepe and Raphael Varane both being absent. Was beaten way too easily by Vidal for the header. But apart from that, he did well and stood strong against the mighty Bayern in what was his just second European appearance this season.

Sergio Ramos – 6/10

Pushed his team forward by carrying the ball out of the back on plenty of occasions. His distribution was poor at times, but all in all, it was a solid performance from the captain.

Marcelo – 6/10

Was a constant outlet for Real Madrid down the left-hand side as he drove forward with great intent. But he was quite wasteful in possession at times. Was caught out by Arjen Robben on a couple of occasions. Not his best performance.

Casemiro – 7.5/10

Picked up an injury early in the game, but battled through it to put in another strong display. Made 8 tackles – highest in the game, covered ground well and picked Carvajal out with a fine pass in the lead up to the equaliser.

Luka Modric – 7/10

Probably the busiest Madrid player on the field, Modric did not impose himself on the game in the early stages but came into his own once Bayern went down to 10 men. Played a vital role in the second goal.

Toni Kroos – 7/10

Most touches in the game by any player and with an incredibly high pass accuracy of 97%, Kroos looked good against his former side. There were some good crosses into the box, drove his team forward, especially after Martinez was sent off.

Gareth Bale – 5/10

Needed a big performance after some below-par displays, but was largely ineffective for Real Madrid once again. Came close to scoring from a point-blank header in the second period, before being taken off.

Karim Benzema – 7.5/10

Was denied by Neuer early in the game. Carried the ball forward very well, his interplay with his teammates was once again top notch. An all-round display from the Frenchman.

Cristiano Ronaldo – 8.5/10

A quiet first half, but came alive in the second period causing Bayern all sorts of problems with his movement. Opened the scoring with a fine side-footed finish and forced Martinez’s sending off by drawing him into two poor challenges, before sealing the win with another smart finish. A fantastic display.

Substitutes

Marco Asensio – 7/10

Replaced Bale in the 59th minute and showed why he is rated so highly. Assisted Ronaldo’s second with a sublime ball into the box. Impact change.

James Rodriguez – NA

Replaced Benzema in the 83rd minute.

Mateo Kovacic – NA

Came on for Modric with less than a minute left to play.

Comments are closed.