Real Madrid sealed their first LaLiga title since 2012 on the final match day of the campaign, with a 2-0 victory over Malaga in Andalusia enough to stump Barcelona’s slim hopes of snatching the trophy.
Goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema were enough to take all three points, despite Zinedine Zidane’s side needing just a draw to seal first place. Isco provided another important assist for the away side, with Keylor Navas doing well in goal to keep a very rare clean sheet for Los Blancos too.
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(All players are rated out of 10)
Malaga
Carlos Kameni - 8
Made a string of brilliant saves to ensure that the scoreline was kept respectable. Very quick off his line to command his penalty area and was as strong as ever with his reflex saves.
Miguel Torres - 5
Struggled to deal with Marcelo overlapping on the left-hand side at times. Cristiano Ronaldo’s newfound drive and explosive power of late also caused the experienced full-back issues.
Luis Hernandez - 5
Made a very key mistake in the build-up to the game’s opening goal, but then did recover to put in a solid performance. Timed his tackles well and didn’t give Karim Benzema much space in open play.
Mikel Villanueva - 5
Appeared to pick up a bit of a knock, but continued due to a lack of other central defensive options. Kept a fairly good line with Luis Hernandez, as Malaga did well with the ball ahead of them.
Federico Ricca - 5
Threw himself into some rather poor challenges and was lucky to not get booked for leaving his mark on Cristiano Ronaldo. Was neat and tidy in possession, however.
Recio - 6
As promised before the game, the Malaga midfielder didn’t roll over for the away side and battled throughout. Wasn’t afraid to try his luck from range when given the space to.
Ignacio Camacho - 6
Another solid performance from the battling midfield presence, who did help his side to definitely hold their own in a battle against far superior opposition in terms of technical ability.
Keko - 6
Managed to get beyond Marcelo and down the right-hand side on a few notable occasions, with his pace and dribbling ability clear. The ex-Eibar winger’s final ball let him down a little, however.
Pablo Fornals - 7
Showed some lovely bits of skill and was responsible for dragging Malaga upfield on the counter and opening the pitch out. Lots of potential for one so young.
Jony - 7
Provided a lot of hard work at both ends of the pitch and wasn’t afraid to be very direct with his style of play. A threat when either nipping down the outside of Danilo or using his frame to meander infield.
Sandro - 7
His purpose and intensity were very impressive, with his free-kick attempts forcing some good goalkeeping out of Navas. Very keen to go forward at pace and was adventurous with his passing.
Substitutes
Charles - 5
Missed a very good chance late on, after not realising that he had the freedom of the opposition penalty area to spin and try his luck.
Duda - 5
Introduced late on and didn’t have much of an opportunity to get on the ball and make anything happen on his farewell performance at La Rosaleda.
Chory Castro - 6
Struck the crossbar in the late stages of the game, with a hand from Navas doing enough to deny the former Real Sociedad winger a goal.
Real Madrid
Keylor Navas - 9
Did brilliantly to ensure that the likes of Sandro and Chory Castro didn’t manage to find the back of the net. Agile and quick to respond to any danger.
Danilo - 6
A steady performance from the Brazilian, but Jony did have some moments where he looked truly dangerous and had the ex-Porto right-back sweating.
Sergio Ramos - 6
Wasn’t asked to do a great deal defensively, as Real Madrid were able to preserve their shape and protect their central defenders rather well. An aerial threat going forward, he was the key for the second goal.
Raphael Varane - 6
Provided an inadvertent assist for Benzema’s goal - but they all count. Strong and quick at the back, ensuring that Sandro didn’t get a chance to add to his excellent recent goal haul.
Marcelo - 6
Was found to be lacking for pace on a couple of occasions against Keko, but the Brazil international was mainly calm and composed in possession. Ventured forward whenever he could.
Toni Kroos - 7
Filled in both in the central midfield and on the left-hand side of a four, with the German metronome ensuring that his defence was protected well and that the ball was kept moving.
Casemiro - 6
Missed a couple of challenges, which is a little unlike him, but the Brazilian did his job and made sure that Real Madrid were very tough to play through centrally throughout the game.
Luka Modric - 8
Another excellent performance from the Croatia international, who was astute with his defensive work and provided plenty of balance in midfield. Covered for Danilo very well at times.
Isco - 7
Flicked through a good pass to assist Cristiano Ronaldo’s opener, and drifted around as per usual. Very tough to get the ball off, and always drifted into dangerous spaces. Tracked back well, too.
Karim Benzema - 7.5
Not only did he tuck home a close-range finish to make it 2-0 but also saw a second goal ruled out for offside. Always very keen to try and get in behind, but was often the wrong side of his man.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 8.5
Fired home a great early chance to open the scoring, before spurning another close-range opportunity in the first half. Showed hunger and was direct with his running, with his good form continuing.
Substitutes
Mateo Kovacic - 6
Sat in the Casemiro role at the base of the midfield and stayed very deep, with Zidane clearly concerned about allowing Malaga back into the contest.
Alvaro Morata - 6
Had one rushed shot, but was mostly not provided with the opportunity to try his luck from in and around the box.
James Rodriguez - 6
Was given license to drift forward and to try and recreate Isco’s useful role to the side, and slotted in without any complaints. Worked back as was important, as Los Blancos closed out the win.
