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Real Madrid beat Real Valladolid 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, August 25 to grab their first win of the La Liga campaign. It came after their disappointing 1-1 draw at Mallorca in their first game.
The first half was a snoozefest as both teams despite having possession scarcely looked like scoring. It was after the restart that Los Blancos came to life. Federico Valverde smashed one in off a set-piece routine to open the scoring for the hosts in the 50th minute of the game.
Real Madrid kept their hunt on for their second of the night and kept creating chances. Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr, and Rodrygo were at it but were disappointed by their poor finishing or decision-making.
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It was in the 88th minute of the game when Brahim Diaz showed his class as he finished a chance post a brilliant long ball by Eder Militao. The Spaniard then set up Endrick in stoppage time who marked his Real Madrid debut with a special goal to make it three.
On that note, let's look at the player ratings for Real Madrid.
Real Madrid Player Ratings
Thibaut Courtois - 7/10
Thibaut Courtois was a mere spectator as he hardly had anything to do. He was reliable whenever called upon.
Fran Garcia - 6/10
Fran Garcia had a decent game defensively but did not offer much offensively as he left the wing completely for Vinicius Jr.
Eder Militao - 8/10
Eder Militao had a great game for Real Madrid. The Brazilian won seven duels, made seven recoveries, cleared the ball thrice, made one interception, and made one block throughout the game. He even set up Brahim Diaz with a fantastic long ball.
Antonio Rudiger - 7/10
Antonio Rudiger combined well with Militao at the back and dealt with everything that came down the center. The German looked reckless on some occasions but ultimately came out on top.
Dani Carvajal - 7/10
Dani Carvajal was astute defensively and won three tackles, made three clearances, won four duels, and intercepted the ball once throughout the game. He did not try to attack much down the right which was a bit atypical of him.
Aurelien Tchouameni - 7/10
Aurelien Tchouameni played his role decently as he tried to orchestrate the play and keep the ball moving in the center of the park. The Frenchman completed the most number of passes throughout the game (86).
Federico Valverde - 8.5/10
Federico Valverde as usual put in a massive shift for Real Madrid in the center of the park. The Uruguayan opened the scoring for the hosts with a prolific strike off a set-piece tactic. He was good with his transitionary plays and helped his side tick in the second half.
Arda Guler - 7/10
Arda Guler seemed to be putting too much pressure on himself. His frustration was quite evident when he could not finish half chances that came down his way. The Turkiye international had the freedom to interchange positions but didn't look well settled as he lacked that edge tonight.
Vincius Jr - 7/10
Vinicius Jr was his usual self on the left with all the trickery down his pocket on display. He created three chances, won seven duels, made two recoveries, and completed five dribbles throughout the game.
Kylian Mbappe - 6/10
Kylian Mbappe is still finding his feet in La Liga and is trying really hard. His attempts to drop deep and make those runs are evident. However, he will likely need more time to adjust and adapt to this style of play and to understand his teammates.
Rodrygo - 7.5/10
Rodrygo seems like he has a point to prove ever since the arrival of Kylian Mbappe. He tried to make everything happen on his own. He had a brilliant run in the opening half cutting past opposition players with ease, but it came down to nothing. Rodrygo grabbed an assist to his name as he set up Valverde's opener from the set-piece.
Substitutes
Luka Modric - 7/10
Luka Modric instilled energy and positivity post his introduction. He was silky as always.
Brahim Diaz - 8.5/10
Brahim Diaz was exceptional for Real Madrid post coming off the bench. He grabbed a goal post a calm finish to beat Karl Hein and then went on to assist Endrick for Real Madrid's third of the night.
Dani Ceballos - N/A
Did not have much impact on the game.
Endrick - 7.5/10
Endrick in the limited amount of time announced himself to the world with a clinical striker's finish to grab a goal on his La Liga debut.
