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Real Madrid boosted their 2020-21 UEFA Champions League knockout round hopes after completing the double over Inter Milan with a 2-0 win against the ten-man hosts at the San Siro.
Eden Hazard's penalty in the first half and an own goal from Achraf Hakimi in the second sunk insipid Inter Milan on home turf, as the Nerazzurri are now facing elimination from the group stage of the Champions League for the third consecutive year.
Despite missing key players such as Karim Benzema and Sergio Ramos, Los Blancos were thoroughly dominant on the night, creating the better chances and being more frugal in defence.
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Real Madrid's first-ever win at the San Siro elevates the Spanish champions to second in the group with seven points, just one behind leaders Borussia Monchengladbach, while Antonio Conte's side remain rooted to the bottom with only two points in their kitty.
On that note, let us have a look at the ratings of players from both teams.
Inter Milan Player Ratings
Samir Handanovic - 5/10
Samir Handanovic was left exposed by his shambolic defence on far too many occasions as Real Madrid laid siege on his goal. The Slovenian guessed the right way for Hazard's penalty but couldn't keep it out as it was struck with too much venom.
Milan Skriniar - 6.5/10
Milan Skriniar dealt well with the threat of Mariano alongside De Vrij, but Real Madrid's high press unsettled him on a few occasions.
Stefan De Vrij - 6.5/10
Stefan De Vrij showed good positional awareness and passing range. He made three interceptions, two clearances and completed 91% of his passes.
Alessandro Bastoni - 7/10
Alessandro Bastoni was more involved creatively, driving forward to add bodies up front for Inter Milan. However, in doing so, he left plenty of gaps at the back for Real Madrid's Dani Carvajal and Lucas Vazquez to exploit.
Achraf Hakimi - 4/10
Achraf Hakimi had another torrid evening against his former side as the Moroccan was completely outpaced, outmuscled, and outsmarted in every department. He moved to the opposite flank in the second half, but to no avail as Real Madrid full-backs kept him firmly in check. Rodrygo's goal went down as his own goal.
Nicolo Barella - 6.5/10
Nicolo Barella conceded the penalty that allowed the visitors to take an early lead but improved in the game gradually. He battled for the ball in midfield and tried to cover for Vidal, who was sent off.
Arturo Vidal - 4/10
It's not hard to see why Barcelona were so eager to sell Arturo Vidal in the summer. The Chilean was a catastrophe against Real Madrid, conceding fouls galore before he got sent off in just the 33rd minute for remonstrating with the referee, leaving Inter Milan to play with a numerical disadvantage for an hour.
Roberto Gagliardini - 6/10
Roberto Gagliaridini worked really hard off the ball. He tried to win back possession and also made three interceptions.
Ashley Young - 6/10
I was a very average performance from the former Manchester United man, who looked poor at both ends. Ashley Young offered little attacking threat while he was also often too late to react on the defensive front.
Lautaro Martinez - 4/10
Lautaro Martinez supposedly had the One Ring on tonight, as he was totally invisible against Real Madrid. The Inter Milan forward made just five passes in the first half, the least of all players, and failed to attempt a single shot.
Romelu Lukaku - 5/10
It was a disappointing performance from the man who's been so great for Inter Milan since arriving last year. Romelu Lukaku was totally boxed up and was given no breathing room at all by Real Madrid.
Ratings of Inter Milan Substitutes
Ivan Perisic - 7/10
Ivan Perisic was the most promising attacking player for Inter Milan, getting in behind Real Madrid's defence, trying a few shots from distance and laying off crosses for Lukaku and Sanchez.
Danilo D'Ambrosio - 6/10
Danilo D'Ambrosio came on at half-time for Inter Milan but offered little in the way of attack.
Stefano Sensi - 6/10
Stefano Sensi brought some vigour to the Inter Milan midfield but still did not appear to be at his best.
Alexis Sanchez - 6/10
Alexis Sanchez bumped into Carvajal while going forward, but besides a couple of shots from distance, he didn't really bring anything to the side.
Christian Eriksen - N/A
Christian Eriksen was brought on for Lukaku but failed to make an impact for Inter Milan in the final few minutes of the game.
Real Madrid Player Ratings
Thibaut Courtois - 7/10
Much to his delight, it was a rather easy night at goal for Real Madrid custodian Thibaut Courtois. He wasn't really tested by his compatriot Romelu Lukaku, or by any of the Inter players in general, as the lanky Belgian cruised to another clean sheet for Madrid.
Daniel Carvajal - 7/10
Dani Carvajal thoroughly dominated his flank against Inter Milan, holding the width and keeping Hakimi in his pocket in the second half. He even laid two key passes for Real Madrid.
Raphael Varane - 7/10
Raphael Varane took on the captain's armband in the absence of the injured Sergio Ramos and led by example, turning in a commanding shift in the Real Madrid defence to keep Inter Milan's attack at bay.
Nacho - 7/10
Apart from winning the penalty that Hazard dispatched with elan, Nacho ably complemented Varane at the heart of the Real Madrid defence, showing great positional awareness and tremendous strength in possession. He made three successful tackles in the match, the most by any player, as well as three clearances and two interceptions against Inter Milan.
Ferland Mendy - 7/10
Ferland Mendy dealt well with Hakimi in the first half but should've done better in the 17th minute going forward. He was let through on goal but instead of trying a shot, he attempted an inexplicable cutback that was too heavy, and the chance went begging for Madrid.
Luka Modric - 8.5/10
One often runs out of superlatives to talk about Croatian veteran Luka Modric. He was awe-inspiring for Real Madrid, completely dominating the midfield and giving Inter Milan no chance. He created the most chances for his side with three, won five duels, made ten ball recoveries and completed 91% of his passes. That was incredible stuff!
Toni Kroos - 8.5/10
Toni Kroos was stupendous against Inter Milan as well. He set the key to Real Madrid's tempo and made excellent distributions from the deep. Kroos finished with a ridiculous pass completion rate of 98% from 128 passes, including 25 in Inter Milan's third, while attempting 14 long balls.
Lucas Vazquez - 7/10
It was a fine performance after a long time from Lucas Vazquez, who was a huge threat against Inter Milan going forward. He even assisted Rodrygo with a superb over-the-top cross.
Martin Odegaard - 7/10
Martin Odegaard's movements, ball control and composure in possession were all top-notch and belied his age. His positioning between the Inter Milan lines helped Real Madrid with ball-progression, and the Norwegian was also involved in the penalty incident, sliding a pass for Nacho before he was brought down.
Eden Hazard - 8/10
Eden Hazard put in a solid performance against Inter Milan, arguably one of his finest in Real Madrid colours. The Belgian created numerous chances and also put his side ahead from the spot, which was only his third goal for Los Blancos since arriving at the club last year.
Mariano - 6.5/10
Mariano made his first start in the Champions League for Real Madrid since October 2018. However, there were no goals once again for the Dominican, who was completely eclipsed by his attacking cohorts.
Ratings of Real Madrid Substitutes
Rodrygo - 8/10
Barely 30 seconds after coming on, Rodrygo did exactly what was expected of him - score a goal - as the young Brazilian thumped home a close-range volley to double Real Madrid's advantage. The goal, however, went down as an own goal from Achraf Hakimi.
Casemiro - 7/10
So often an instrumental figure in the Real Madrid midfield, Casemiro wasn't even needed against Inter Milan. After coming on at the hour mark, the Brazilian provided a calming presence in the middle and laid some good passes as well.
Vinicius Junior - 6/10
Vinicius Junior came on for Eden Hazard in the 78th minute, but apart from a few good runs and accurate passes, he wasn't really an attacking threat against Inter Milan.
