Real Madrid won 1-0 at Atalanta on Wednesday, in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League, with Ferland Mendy scoring in his only shot. The goal came in the final moments and put Los Blancos in the driver’s seat to advance to the quarterfinals when they play the second leg in March.
But how was the performance of each player in this? Here are our player ratings for the match for each titleholder, substitute and coach.
All ratings are out of 10 and the higher the number, the better. A zero would be a red card in the first minute. A 10 would be like a dominant hat trick.
Atalanta
GK – Pierluigi Gollini
He was not very busy and was defeated by a fantastic blow. He did everything else well, but could he have done better on goal? His line of sight seemed blocked.
Rating: 5
DEF – Berat Djimsiti
The positioning could have been better, but the effort was there. He also did well to clear the danger and was strong in the air.
Rating: 6
DEF – Cristian Romero
The position was good, he recovered the ball well, but at times he had problems with Real’s technical ability. He won most of his duels and intercepted the ball five times.
Rating: 7
DEF – Rafael Toloi
A stone at the bottom, doing a little of everything. He was strong in his tackles, was not defeated in the air and really helped prevent some goal runs.
Rating: 7
DEF – Robin Gosens
A defense threat. He was one of the strongest players on the field and could not be beaten when challenged one by one.
Rating: 8
DEF – Joakim Maehle
Hurried, but his ticket was very poor. It always seemed to need an extra touch to get comfortable. He had the best chance of his team, but it was not even remotely good.
Rating: 5
MID – Remo Freuler
He received a red card after just 17 minutes for a challenge, and it was tough to be fair. He did not deserve to be expelled and now has to miss the second leg. Unhappy for him,
Classification: N / A
MID – Marten de Roon
With Real dominating the ball, he never really managed to go and made just 46 hits. He also never progressed, failing to complete a pass in the final third.
Rating: 5
MID – Matteo Pessina
With the task of being the creative game creator in the middle, he created zero chances. So, you tell me about his day.
Rating: 4
FWD – Luis Muriel
The drop to 10 men hurt his chances, and he lasted just 56 minutes before being replaced. It was just one of those days.
Rating: 4
FWD – Duvan Zapata
He received a knock in the first half and was replaced after 30 minutes.
Classification: N / A
SUB – Mario Pasalic
I played 60 minutes and did a decent turn.
Rating: 6
SUB – Josip Ilicic
He was on for half an hour and didn’t look at the goal before it was taken out. It is not good.
Classification: N / A
SUB – Ruslan Malinovskyi
Sub delayed
Classification: N / A
SUB – Jose Palomino
Another delayed submarine.
Classification: N / A
MANAGER – Gian Piero Gasperini
The red card ended the team’s attack plan. A 0-0 draw would have been a good result, considering all aspects, but now they have their backs to the wall. Still, they are more than capable of getting around the minimum deficit. It wasn’t that bad, but the referee didn’t do them any favors.
Rating: 5
Real Madrid
GK – Thibaut Courtois
He made as many defenses as you and me. Spectator for almost every 90 minutes and had only one corner to worry about.
Rating: 5
DEF – Ferland Mendy
The hero with his second goal of the season, leading well. He advanced a lot and looked excited from the start, but no one saw that goal coming. What a success.
Rating: 8
DEF – Nacho
I had practically nothing to deal with, but it created a really dangerous chance of attack. He just had to watch his fellow center back in this one, as it was not a difficult change.
Rating: 5
DEF – Raphael Varane
Strong as always, though not too challenged. He had 12 recoveries, but struggled a bit in the air with Atalanta’s height, although it was worthless.
Rating: 7
DEF – Lucas Vazquez
He is not a born defender, his pace and effort are very important. He missed some challenges a lot, but he did more good than bad.
Rating: 5
MID – Toni Kroos
He created the best scoring opportunities, was almost perfect in passing and helped a lot to start the attack after a slow start.
Rating: 7
MID – Casemiro
Very strong in the middle, commanding the game at both ends. He also had some creative moments, but his passage in the final third was a little off.
Rating: 6
MID – Luka Modric
The Croatian star assisted and created four opportunities. He completed almost 93 percent of his passes and got a good look, missing out on a chance in the second half.
Rating: 7
FWD – Vinicius Jr.
He left his boots in Madrid. I took two shots and I should have done better. It was removed after 57 minutes.
Rating: 5
FWD – Bait
He played the fake nine role and did well. He created a dangerous chance, made a couple look at each other and try hard in what was not an ideal situation.
Rating: 6
FWD – Marco Asensio
He created almost nothing and wasted a great free kick in the second half. Played 76 minutes before being pulled out.
Rating: 5
SUB – Mariano Diaz
I wonder how he feels about being the only healthy striker, but with Isco in front of him. Credit his professionalism and his effort, but he never came close to making an impact after joining.
Rating: 5
SUB – Hugo Duro
Late substitute.
Classification: N / A
SUB – Sergio Arribas
Another submarine delayed.
Classification: N / A
MANAGER – Zinedine Zidane
It wasn’t pretty, but it was enough, despite a strange formation. The 0-0 draw would have been solid, but the 1-0 victory is a very good result and was a little happy. But be careful, because this is not even close to ending. Zidane knows this, but this result sets them up very well.
Rating: 7