Real Madrid
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Keylor Navas – 6/10
The Costa Rican couldn’t do anything about the penalty and only had one save to make over the course of the 90 minutes.
Daniel Carvajal – 6.5/10
The full-back went up the pitch often but his final ball left a lot to be desired. Carvajal did well defensively though to ensure Madrid came away with the 3 points.
Raphael Varane – 9/10
The Frenchman was solid at the back and also scored a goal for Real Madrid. Varane dealt with the Sporting attackers without much trouble. The defender almost made a costly error in the box after he failed to clear the ball away, however, Sporting's Joel Campbell spurned the opportunity. Overall, It was a great performance from the centre-back.
Sergio Ramos – 8/10
The Spaniard looked shaky at times at the back, but he was good overall. Ramos’ best moment of the game was the cross he delivered from which Benzema scored the winner. Ramos was the best player of the game in the air. The centre-back won six aerial duels on the night, which is four more than anyone else.
Marcelo – 6/10
The Brazilian was outrun by Gelson a few times, but ultimately dealt with the winger well. The full-back was very much involved in his team’s attack like always. Fabio Coentrao replaced him at the 71-minute mark.
Luka Modric – 7.5/10
The Croatian was very good with the ball at his feet and his passing was on point. The midfielder’s free-kick led to his team’s first goal. However, the rest of his set-pieces were poor. It was a very neat performance from Modric, but he is capable of a lot more.
Mateo Kovacic – 7/10
Modric’s countryman also had a good game against Sporting. The former Inter Milan player’s passes were crisp and accurate. He had a pass accuracy of 95.4%, the best of the night. The 22-year-old also ran tirelessly in the midfield. Kovacic was also the best dribbler on the night with 3 successful dribbles. He was also responsible for Pereira’s dismissal albeit in a controversial manner.
Isco Alarcon – 6/10
The creative midfielder was restricted by William Carvalho and hence couldn’t contribute much. Isco tried hard to get the better of the Portuguese, but failed. The couple of set-pieces he delivered were very poor and Sporting almost scored a goal after he cheaply gave away the ball in midfield. The former Malaga player was rightly taken off for the final 20 minutes.
Lucas Vazquez – 5/10
Vazquez failed to have any influence in the game whatsoever. Zeegellar made things very difficult for the forward.
Gareth Bale – 5.5/10
The Welshman caused trouble using his pace and strength, but couldn’t cause any damage in the end. Bale was dealt very well by Pereira and hence he did not have much space to work with. Every pass and cross he made was intercepted by the solid Sporting defence. The former Tottenham Hotspur player was taken off in the 58th minute due to a knock.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 5/10
The forward had a frustrating night on his return to his old home. Ronaldo was not at his best and was not effective enough. He was dispossessed six times, the worst of the night. However, the former Manchester United man played a role in Varane's goal. His shot was blocked by the opposition, but it fell to the French defender who tapped it in.
Substitutes
Marco Asensio – 6/10
Asensio replaced the injured Bale in the 58th minute of the game. The attacker was involved in a couple of Real Madrid counter-attacks. His inaccurate pass broke down one of those attacks while he almost scored from the other.
Karim Benzema – 8/10
The Frenchman came on for Isco in the 67th minute of the game and scored the winner from his first shot. Benzema did what the whole Real Madrid attack couldn’t do in just 20 minutes.
Fabio Coentrao – 4/10
The Portuguese defender replaced Marcelo in the 71st minute. Coentrao’s performance was in complete contrast to Benzema’s. While Benzema scored the winner for his team, the full-back almost cost his side the three points. Sporting were awarded the penalty, from which they equalised, after a poor handball from the 28-year old.
