Real Madrid eased into the quarter-finals of the Champions League, as goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and James Rodriguez helped them beat Roma 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu – progressing via. a 4-0 aggregate scoreline.
Real Madrid dominated the game, although Roma’s counter-attacking tactics did see them come close through Mohamed Salah and Edin Dzeko. The tie was sealed midway through the second half when Cristiano Ronaldo scored one and assisted James for the other within the space of 4 minutes to put the game beyond a spirited Roma.
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We observe each player’s performance and assign them a rating on a scale of 1-10:
Real Madrid
Keylor Navas – 7.5
A good diving stop to deny Alessandro Florenzi was a personal highlight for the Costa Rican. He gets extra ratings for the clean sheet.
Danilo – 7
An assured defensive performance from the full-back to frustrate el-Sharaawy. Could not offer much going forward, his first-half injury probably curtailing him from doing so.
Pepe – 7
Was stretched at the back by some dangerous approach play by Roma’s attacking midfielders, but ultimately came out unscathed thanks to some crucial interventions in the form of ground challenges and defensive headers. Was also helped by Roma’s inability to finish.
Sergio Ramos – 7
Like in the first leg, Real’s captain initially struggled with Salah’s pace on the right during Roma’s counters, but caught up with him as the game progressed. An improved second-half display helped his team maintain their clean sheet thanks to some confident tackling to stop Diego Perrotti on his runs.
Marcelo – 6.5
A lethargic performance from the Brazilian, who was constantly being outrun by Salah on the flanks. Marcelon struggled to break the partnership between the Egyptian and the fullback Florenzi. Could be grateful to Sergio Ramos for clearing up for him.
Casemiro – 7
An impressive performance against Celta de Vigo over the weekend rightly earned him a starting line-up on Tuesday. Effectively closed down Miralem Pjanic and William Vainqueur in either half.
Luka Modric – 7.5
Directed most of Real Madrid’s belligerent attacking plays, feeding off James Rodriguez on the right side of midfield or switching play to Toni Kroos on the left.. He completed almost all his passes, reflecting his confidence in moving the ball around.
Toni Kroos – 7
Did most of the work on the left, covering up for Gareth Bale who is still feeling his way back into the game following an injury layoff. Could have done better with his corners, most of them failing to trouble the Roma defence.
James Rodriguez – 7
Another below-par display from the Colombian who has struggled with form all season. He was guilty of dispossession on a number of instances, undoing the good work of Luka Modric. He earns the extra ratings for his second-half goal. Was rightly booed off by the Real faithful from the crowd.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 9
This was another Champions League masterclass from the 3-time Ballon d’Or winner. On no occasion was he in a mood to allow the two Roma centre-halves to settle down. He kept finding spaces in the opposition defence, allowing him to have cracks at goal. Could easily have had more goals against his name but for some work by Szczesny in between the sticks.
Gareth Bale – 6.5
A quiet display by the Welshman, who is understandably still not 100% fit following his month-and-a-half absence from the field due to a calf injury. His only significant contribution came in the first half when he sent a whipping cross along the ground for Marcelo, who scuffed his shot. Was withdrawn at the hour mark.
Substitutes:
Lucas Vazquez – 7.5
Made an immediate impact after coming on, a pacy cross from the right wing met by Ronaldo’s right foot to open the scoring and extend Real’s advantage. He was lively since, dictating the right wing against a tiring Lucas Digne.
Jese – 6.5
Barely had a few touches of the ball during the 14 minutes he was on the pitch.
Mateo Kovacic – N/A
Replaced Casemiro in the 83rd minute to shut up shop.
AS Roma
Wojciech Szczesny – 7.5
The Polish international was as good with his saves as he was bad with the concession of the two goals. He made a series of fantastic stops, including three of them to keep Ronaldo at bay. However, he may be considered to be at fault for both goals. He could have done better to stop Vazquez’s cross from reaching him and should have stopped James’ shot from going through his legs for the second. However, he kept the scoreline down with Real firing 10 shots on target, giving Roma a chance to get back in the tie – a chance they failed to capitalise on, thanks to some average finishing.
Alessandro Florenzi – 7
Once again, he linked up really well with Salah on the right flank to try and help a desperate Roma wipe out the first-leg deficit. He himself had a shot at goal, which was well saved by Navas.
Constantinos Manolas – 6.5
Looked hapless for large periods against Ronaldo, something he shouldn’t feel embarrassed about. A tough night for the Greek, despite a couple of pinpoint tackles to foil Real Madrid.
Ervin Zukanovic – 7
Like Manolas, he too struggled to deal with the Real Madrid pressure. He had to make a number of last-ditch clearances to keep the crosses coming from Toni Kroos or James out.
Lucas Digne – 6.5
The young full-back had to spend a majority of time in his defensive zone, as he looked to tone down the impact of Luka Modric’s partnership with James. As he was tiring, a fresh-legged Lucas Vazquez took full advantage to assist Ronaldo for the opener.
Seydou Keita – 6.5
Had the impossible job of running all around the centre of the pitch to retrieve the ball from Kroos or Modric.
Miralem Pjanic – 6
Another forgettable outing for Pjanic. Was kept shut by Casemiro, allowing himself to create just a single chance going forward. Taken off at half-time.
Mohamed Salah – 8
Everything about the Egyptian’s game seems perfect, except his finishing. His searing pace on the wings gave Marcelo a nightmare. Meanwhile, he was also adept at getting himself into great positions to score. However, his finishing remained his Achilles Heel all night. His best chance came when he shot agonizingly wide after being sent through by Edin Dzeko by a pass which bisected Marcelo and Ramos.
Diego Perotti – 7
He started in a number 10 role behind Edin Dzeko and was instrumental in helping Roma launch their counter attacks – laying off Salah or el-Sharaawy on the wing or attempting to play that final pass to Dzeko upfront. He himself thudded the woodwork in the 88th minute, but by then the tie was already out of Roma’s reach.
Stephan el-Sharaawy – 6
Failed to deliver a single cross into the box the entire game thanks to Danilo’s interceptions. Was dispossessed many times by the right back. Both his shots failed to hit the target. An insipid display overall.
Edin Dzeko – 6.5
Missed Roma’s best opportunity to score when he fluffed his strike wide after some excellent work by Salah. Could not produce a meaningful chance to score since.
Substitutes:
William Vainqueur – 6.5
Replaced a terrible Pjanic at half-time, but he too struggled to outsmart Casemiro in midfield – restricting him to sideway passes, exactly what Real wanted.
Francesco Totti – 6
A few touches here and there for the one-club man, but there was no way he was going to inspire his side to score 4 goals in the last 16 minutes.
Maicon – N/A
Came on for a worn down Seydou Keita in the 86th minute. Understandably had no time to do anything of note with his side 4 goals down.
