Real Madrid 4-1 Getafe: Player Ratings

Karim Benzema (R) grabbed a brace for Real Madrid

In spite of the latest setbacks in La Liga and the Copa Del Rey, there was an air of optimism around the stadium when Real Madrid faced Getafe. The trio of Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo (popularly known as BBC) ran riot against a hapless Getafe defence which could literally do nothing about their determination and steely resolve.

The French striker scored a brace while Ronaldo intelligently steered a header backwards to Bale, who veered away from the defender, aimed and took a powerful left-footed shot into the edge of the net. Ronaldo added to the tally, and soon it was smooth sailing for Real as they went up by a four-goal margin before the first half ended.

But they managed to only add one more shot on target in the second half, when Getafe, realizing that Real had lost its sharpness, pulled one back through Alexis. It finished 4-1 and Real Madrid found themselves putting pressure on the Blaugrana before Barca’s trip to the Mestalla, against Valencia, soon to be managed by Gary Neville.

Real Madrid

Keylor Navas – 6

He did not really have to exert himself too much physically as his side dominated and brushed past a visibly inferior team. However, he should consider himself terribly unlucky on account of him missing out on a possible clean sheet, although the goal could not have been saved.

Nacho Fernandez – 6

He was a bundle of strength from the beginning to the end of the match. The defender restricted the likes of Alvaro Vazquez and Stefan Scepovic, preventing them from ruffling Real’s feathers too much.

Danilo – 6

Danilo did not seem to be flustered while defending against Pablo Sarabia and Damian Suarez at any point and he was very effective in going up the wing whenever required.

Pepe – 7

A solid, sturdy performance from the Portuguese defender who was also effective while venturing into the attack. He provided the curling cross which paved way for the opening goal.

Lucas Vazquez – 7

He constantly troubled the Getafe defenders by being a nagging presence and was instrumental in running up and down the right wing throughout the match. A crucial presence in almost all of Real’s attacks, he did everything but score.

Toni Kroos – 7

The German decided the tempo of the game by sitting deep and nipping opposition attacks in the buds and he was instrumental in picking passes to the attacking frontline. Kroos had a very successful pass conversion ratio.

James Rodriguez – 7.5

The Colombian managed to create little pockets of space that he himself drifted into all afternoon. He created a lot of nuisance in and around the Getafe box as he was allowed far too much freedom. All in all, a very assured performance.

Luka Modric – 7

He was very fast in midfield and, by utilizing his pace greatly, he managed to pull off certain good moves and ripped apart the opposition’s tattered midfield.

Gareth Bale also got on the scoresheet

Gareth Bale – 7.5

The Welshman did brilliantly throughout the afternoon to produce his trademark incisions across the defender by employing curved runs and getting into areas of space like his Colombian counterpart. He scored the side’s third goal in a very emphatic and easy-on-the-eye fashion after getting the assist from Ronaldo.

Cristiano Ronaldo – 7.5

Ronaldo created a lot of trouble for Damian Suarez who found the going immensely tough against the Portuguese ace. He gave an assist for his side’s third goal scored by the Welshman Gareth Bale and managed to get on the scoresheet by scoring the fourth goal.

Karim Benzema – 8

The Frenchman shrugged the brutalities of that wretched afternoon by finding the net twice in quick succession and provided much-needed relief to the Bernabeu crowd. He was tirelessly involved in Real’s proceedings even after scoring and was easily the man of the match.

Substitutes

Mateo Kovacic – 6.5

Kovacic replaced Luka Modric with about 30 minutes to play and replicated the Croatian’s performance with an awe-inspiring midfield performance.

Jese Rodriguez – N/A

He came on for Benzema in the last 10 minutes of the match and managed to put in a decent praiseworthy experience.

Alvaro Arbeloa – N/A

He replaced Pepe three minutes from time and did not have enough time to make any impact.

The Getafe defence had a day to forget

Getafe

Vicente Guaita – 4.5

He will find it hard to forget the ease with which the Real Madrid top players notched up goal after another in the Getafe goal. He was not to blame for the faults only his defenders could have avoided and managed to keep a saving grace by not conceding again in the second half.

Damian Suarez – 4.5

A complete day to forget for the Uruguayan defender as he was troubled by Ronaldo throughout the afternoon. The Portuguese came out on top each time and, on the limited number of times he dared to go forward, he failed to make any headway.

Juan Cala – 4

The centre-back had a visibly lacklustre performance thanks to the efforts of Karim Benzema who troubled him to no end and put him constantly under pressure. He was literally bullied by the Frenchman’s astute play.

Roberto Lago – 4.5

Lucas Vazquez and Gareth Bale, to an extent, were nagging presences on the defender. With the duo increasingly attacking him with effortless ease, Lago was put under immense pressure.

Alexis Delgado – 6.5

Alexis was rendered very ineffective against the three-pronged attack of the Real Madrid frontline while being engaged in defensive duties. However, his goal in the 70th minute offered Getafe due consolation – a powerful header which gave Keylor Navas no hope of saving.

Angel Lafita – 6

His first half performance was not worth mentioning at all, but his marauding runs down the flank proved to be his side’s rare moments of offering a glimmer of hope.

Pablo Sarabia – 6

The midfield of Real did very well to curtail his effects on the game to a great extent. As a result, he had to sit deeper than he usually did in the first half. Towards the end of the second half, he managed to break the shackles and had a much better game.

Mehdi Lacen – 4.5

The Algerian’s near-dreadful defensive play led to the excessive workload on the back four which ultimately proved to be too costly. A very bad game by his standards.

Alvaro Vazquez – 3.5

He was probably the worst player on the pitch. He found it tough to get three touches on the ball and offered no resistance to the Madrid defence in any way. He was so ineffective that he was substituted by the manager for Stefan Scepovic even before the second half began.

Victor Rodriguez – 5

He found an able nemesis in the form of Danilo whenever he advanced towards goal. He still had an impact on Getafe’s game play, however his defensive tactics were baffling.

Wamberto Wanderson – 5.5

The Brazilian had to be patient while waiting for the Real Madrid midfield to make a mistake and slowly grew in confidence. His attacking talent came to the fore as the match progressed .

Substitutes

Pedro Leon – 6.5

The Spaniard, who reached Getafe, interestingly from Real Madrid, replaced Wamberto at the hour mark. Within minutes, he proved that he should have probably been included in the starting XI. He provided a great cross from a corner to Alexis Delgado who was in a dangerous position in front of goal and was quite effective on the right flank.

Stefan Scepovic – 4.5

Although he was brought on for the largely ineffective Vazquez, he proved to be not a lot different in the sense that he, too, was unremarkable.

Bernard Mensah – N/A

The Ghanaian midfielder came on in the last 10 minutes, replacing Victor Rodriguez, but was unable to make a distinct impact on the game.