Real Madrid faced off against Almeria at the Power Horse Stadium earlier tonight as they looked to kick off their La Liga title defence with a win on the road. Los Blancos made a poor start to the game as they conceded the opening goal in the sixth minute when Largie Ramazani found the back of the net for the home side. Carlo Ancelotti’s men struggled to come up with a response and went into the half-time interval 1-0 down on the scoreline.
The Madrid giants finally managed to equalise in the 61st minute when Lucas Vazquez scored from close range. David Alaba completed the turnaround for the visitors just 14 minutes later as he scored with an excellent free-kick. Real Madrid hung on to their narrow advantage and secured a hard-fought 2-1 win away from home.
Let’s take a look at how each Real Madrid fared during the match against Almeria.
GK: Thibaut Courtois – 7.5/10
The Belgian keeper made a handful of solid saves at the back but won’t be pleased after conceding so early in the game.
RB: Lucas Vazquez – 8/10
The Spaniard did what was required of him on the defensive end of the field and made two key chances in the final third. He deserves a lot of credit for scoring the all-important equaliser just after the hour mark.
CB: Antonio Rudiger – 6.5/10
Rudiger tried his best to keep things solid at the back and was a threat at the other end of the field as well.
CB: Nacho – 7/10
He was strong in the air and accurate with his passing. Nacho earned the ball back a couple of times during the game.
LB: Ferland Mendy – 7/10
He engineered two good chances in the opposition half but got replaced in the 73rd minute.
CM: Eduardo Camavinga – 6.5/10
Camavinga had a few bright moments in the game but could last only 45 minutes.
CM: Aurélien Tchouaméni – 6.5/10
Tchouameni anchored the midfield well and created one decent opportunity in the Almeria half.
CM: Toni Kroos – 7/10
The German sensation caused a lot of problems for the opposition mainly because of his creativity. He ran out of gas and was substituted in the 82nd minute.
RW: Federico Valverde – 7/10
He was a constant menace down the right flank and did everything but score tonight.
ST: Karim Benzema – 7/10
Benzema was a potent threat in front of the opponent’s goal. He struggled to finish off his chances but ended the game with an assist to his name.
LW: Vinicius Junior – 7/10
He engineered some meaningful openings for others around him but lacked the cutting edge in the final third.
Substitutes:
CM: Luka Modric – 6/10
Modric added more experience to Ancelotti’s midfield.
RW: Eden Hazard – 6/10
He had a couple of bright moments in the game.
CB: David Alaba – 8/10
Alaba came off the bench to score the winning goal with an excellent free-kick.
CM: Casemiro – N/A
The Brazilian talent added more steel to Real Madrid’s midfield.
CM: Dani Ceballos – N/A
He hardly got any time to make an impact.
