Real Madrid 1 - 3 Juventus: Player Ratings

Vamos!

GK: Keylor Navas - 4/10

Oh, Navas. Oh, Navas. The Costa Rican was decent for most of the match, pulling off some decent saves... but all of it went down the drain with a hopeless fumble; allowing the ball to bounce out of his hands and into the feet of Blaise Matuidi around 2 yards from his goalline.

RB: Dani Carvajal - 4/10

The Spaniard was totally, utterly, dominated by Mandzukic, the second goal a perfect exhibition of his frailties in defending the far post. Moving forward, he was far from his assured self, and gave away the ball with a few inane dribbles.

CB: Raphael Varane - 7/10

Varane stepped up in the absence of his senior partner and all-around soul of the team Sergio Ramos - his header off a corner smacking off the crossbar eerily reminiscent of Ramos - and whenever he managed to cover Mandzukic for a cross, he won the duel.

Varane beats Mandzukic in one of their titanic aerial duels

CB: Jesus Vallejo - 7/10

The young man was thrown into the deep end in the absence of Ramos and the injured 'Nacho' Fernandez and did splendidly well to stop tidal wave after wave of Juventus attacks.

LB: Marcelo - 5/10

The Brazilian was poor, a reflection of his early-season self, vulnerable to the searing pace of Douglas Costa and the overlapping runs of De Sciglio/Lichsteiner... and while he was more enterprising moving forward than his partner on the opposite flank, he still wasn't his usual effectual self.

CM: Luka Modric - 6/10 (off 75' for Mateo Kovacic)

The Croatian was imperious in bits, passing it around decently well - pinging some of his gorgeous balls through the crowded-as-hell midfield but he loses points because of just how good the Juve three were, and how much they dominated the game.

Modric takes Higuain for a trip around Madrid

CM: Casemiro - 4/10 (off 45' for Lucas Vazquez)

Could do little to stem the physical dominance of Khedira and Matuidi in midfield and his replacement spoke of Zidane's desire to take the game away from the middle of the field.

CM: Toni Kroos - 7/10

Give Toni one chance... the German's peach allowed Ronaldo to head it down to Vazquez... and his metronomic passing was a sight to behold; despite the rising pressure inside the cauldron of the Bernabeu he barely looked like he was breaking a sweat and that calmness helped in those final, frantic, manic few minutes

CAM: Isco - 6/10

Isco Disco-ed for a bit then disappeared for a bit... it was a weird performance from one of the most talented footballers on the planet who looked gorgeous and incompetent at different times.

CF: Gareth Bale - 3/10 (off 45' for Marco Asensio)

The Welshman had one chance - which he saw saved by Gigi Buffon - and he then proceeded to smack the rebound into the side netting (on the outside) with an imaginative backheel. That and a lovely crossfield to Ronaldo is all I remember from the man whose career has petered out so sadly at the Bernabeu

CF: Cristiano Ronaldo - 10/10

THIS IS HIS COMPETITION. END OF.

There is but one king

Subs:

RM: Lucas Vazquez - 8/10 (for Casemiro, on 45')

The injection of pace and pressure that Vazquez brought to the pitch was vital in ensuring that Madrid did not get overrun in the second half - a very real prospect at the end of the first half. He, of course, did brilliantly to win the penalty of Benatia - in fact, if the Moroccan hadn't brought him down, he'd probably have smashed in the winner

LM: Marco Asensio - 7/10 (for Gareth Bale, on 45')

The introduction of Asensio helped Marcelo by making sure the Lichsteiner had other things to worry about than linking up with Costa up front... and just for that he deserves all these points I'm lavishing on him

CM: Mateo Kovacic - 6/10 (for Luka Modric, on 75')

Did nothing of note... but didn't do much to screw things up either. Good sub, then.