Real Madrid have paved their way to the second position in the La Liga points table following a convincing 1-3 victory against Celta Vigo at the Balaidos Stadium. Karim Benzema scored twice in the first half before setting up Madrid’s third goal of the night for Marco Asensio.
Santi Mina did pull one back for the hosts in the second half but a resilient display from Madrid ensured that the Whites returned to the Spanish capital with all three points in the bag. Marco Asensio is pushing for a place in the starting eleven with two goals in two matches coming off the bench.
In what was expected to be a difficult outing for Zidane’s men, the defending champions certainly came out on top. Here’s how Real Madrid players are rated in their 1-3 victory against Celta Vigo on Matchday 28 of La Liga –
Real Madrid Player Ratings Against Celta Vigo
Real Madrid Player Ratings Against Celta Vigo
GK : Thibaut Courtois – 7/10
Courtois was largely untested on the night but looked alert each time he was drawn into play. The goalie could have not done much about the Santi Mina header that went inside the net in the first half.
RB : Lucas Vasquez – 7/10
A good performance from Vasquez down the right-hand side. The winger turned full-back toiled up and down the length of the pitch from the first whistle to the last.
CB : Raphael Varane – 8/10
Varane was strong at the back and acted calmly even in the absence of Sergio Ramos. The Frenchman made a couple of key interventions that kept the Celta tally down to one goal.
CB : Nacho Fernandez – 7/10
Nacho Fernandez was a commanding presence in defence for Real Madrid. The defender came out clean in most of his challenges and was tidy at the back.
LB : Ferland Mendy – 7/10
The defender made a couple of dangerous runs on the left-hand side. Mendy was rather untroubled while defending and went about his business with relative ease.
CM : Luka Modric – 7/10
Not one of the best performances of Modric keeping in mind the high standards he has set for himself. The Croatian had a pleasant evening nevertheless at the Balaidos.
CM : Casemiro – 8/10
Heavily involved in the centre of the park and did not shy away once from keeping his body on the line. Casemiro even deflected a curling effort from Iago Aspas that could have made the scoreline 2-2 after Real Madrid took a two-goal lead.
CM : Toni Kroos – 9/10
An astonishing performance from Kroos who laid down two crucial assists for Karim Benzema. The German was sharp on the field of play before making way for Marco Asensio in the second half.
RW : Federico Valverde – 7/10
A satisfactory performance from Valverde who seemed to have a better evening after he was brought back into midfield. Zidane would be pleased with the shift the Uruguayan put in.
ST : Karim Benzema – 9.5/10
An exceptional performance from Karim Benzema who deservedly won the Man of the Match title. The Frenchman scored two first-half goals which gave the visitors a commanding grip on the tie. Benzema was not satisfied with his night and was seen sprinting towards the opposition goal in the last few seconds of the match to set-up Marco Asensio. A performance that will have a huge impact on the title race.
LW : Vinicius Jr – 7/10
Not one of the best nights for Vinicius. The player was robust and pacey but his end product let him down on the night on a handful of occasions.
Real Madrid Player Ratings Against Celta Vigo
Substitutes
RW : Marco Asensio – 7/10
The attacker once again scored off the bench with the last kick of the day. Asensio was on the end of an unselfish bit of play from Karim Benzema and put the ball across the line from point blank range.
