Real Madrid have clinched the La Liga title with a tidy 2-1 victory at the Alfredo de Stefano stadium. Karim Benzema scored twice before Iborra pulled one back for Villarreal in the second half. The hunger and desire to win their 34th La Liga title has been rewarded after 37 tiring and fatiguing matchdays.
Zidane and company have got themselves into Real Madrid history tonight with a 10-match winning streak. Real Madrid lifted their first league title in three years as elsewhere Barcelona embarrassingly dropped three points at home against Osasuna.
Zidane guided his troops well and it was visibly evident that the French gaffer had a set strategy to tear down the Villarreal defence. Real Madrid took the field of play with possibly their best starting eleven and it paid off in the end.
Here’s how Real Madrid players were rated in their title-clinching performance at their make-shift stadium.
Real Madrid Players Rated In Win Vs Villarreal
Thibaut Courtois – 8/10
The shot-stopper was largely untested on the night. He failed to keep out a splendid headed goal by Iborra. The Belgian made amends in stoppage time with two match-winning saves off the line.
Dani Carvajal – 8/10
A superb evening by Dani Carvajal. The Spaniard was adventurous in attack and nearly scored a goal on two occasions.
Sergio Ramos – 8/10
Performance of a true leader by Sergio Ramos as he was rock-solid in defense and also won The Whites a penalty which turned out to be decisive in the fixture.
Raphael Varane – 8/10
The World Cup winner was cool as ice in the heart of Madrid’s defence. Varane made some crucial and decisive blocks at the back.
Ferland Mendy – 8/10
Mendy was right on top of his game and kept the Yellow Submarine attackers at bay.
Toni Kroos – 7/10
Toni Kroos was a bit less visible on the night, although he did not make any apparent error. The German was unlucky as he hit the crossbar after a clean strike with his left foot.
Luka Modric – 9/10
Luka Modric was absolutely phenomenal at the Alfredo de Stefano. The Croatian magician controlled things in the middle of the park with utmost ease. Modric also assisted Benzema for the first goal.
Casemiro – 8/10
The Brazilian midfielder made things easy for Zidane’s side with his game reading abilities. Casemiro broke down the play for Villarreal on a couple of occasions apart from making the crucial interception which led to Real’s first goal.
Rodrygo – 8/10
Rodrygo was exceptional in the evening and displayed some great confidence on the ball as he took on the Yellow Submarine defence.
Karim Benzema – 9/10
Two goals on the evening and 21 goals for the season for Karim Benzema. The Frenchman has led by example and driven Real Madrid to their 34th Primera Division title. Benzema beautifully opened up his body and created space for himself in the process before neatly putting it past Asenjo. After a bit of drama for the penalty goal, Benzema eventually took the spot-kick and tucked it away with ease.
Eden Hazard – 7/10
The Belgian did not really have the impact he would have liked. This evening sums up Hazard’s season for Los Blancos pretty much, something which has not met expectations despite the frequent sparkles shown. Hazard drew a handful of fouls from the Villarreal players during his 60 odd minute stay at the pitch.
Substitutes
Vinicius Jr – 7/10
Vinicius set up Asensio with a sumptuous assist, but VAR played a spoil sport for the 20-year-old.
Asensio – 7/10
Nearly on the score-sheet with what would have been a fairy-tale ending to the game. Asensio was lively post his introduction.
Federico Valverde – 6/10
Did not have much involvement post his introduction in the dying minutes.
Isco – 6/10
Too little time to make any impact.
Lucas Vasquez – 6/10
Introduced towards the end of the game.
