At the Alfredo Di Stefano stadium in the Spanish capital, Real Madrid hosted Atalanta for the second leg of the Champions League round of 16. Los Blancos entered with a slim advantage thanks to their 1-0 win in Bergamo, but they made sure to wrap up the qualification with a more convincing display, as the second leg ended with 3-1 victory for La Liga champions. So here are the player ratings for the European contest between Madrid and Atalanta.
Real Madrid XI
Thibaut Courtois – 6.5
A solid performance from the former Chelsea goalkeeper who denied Zapata on two occasions, but was eventually beaten by Muriel’s sublime freekick.
Raphael Varane – 6
The Frenchman looked much more comfortable with Ramos by his side, and besides losing Zapata on one occasion, didn’t look troubled by the opposition.
Sergio Ramos – 7
The skipper marked his return with a well-taken goal from the spot. Although he’s still lacking in fitness, made up for it with his shrewdness and experience, especially while making some key interceptions in delicate situations.
Nacho – 6.5
The Spanish defender burst forward on several occasions with various success levels, but was mostly solid at the back.
Lucas Vazquez – 7.5
An impressive performance from the utility man who seems to be a perfect fit for the wingback role. Threatened with his dribbling and crosses all night long, and created the third Madrid goal for Asensio with great run from the flank towards the edge of the Atalanta box.
Luka Modrid – 8
The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner rolled back the years to produce a match winning performance. Pounced on Sportiello’s mistake to create the first goal for Benzema with some neat footwork, and completely shut down his compatriot Pasalic in the first half, and generally dominated the middle of the park on both phases of the game.
Toni Kroos – 7
A commanding display in midfield for the German who had to play in a deeper role than usual due to the absence of Casemiro. Kept the ball rolling for the hosts with some simple passing.
Federico Valverde – 7
Another Madrid midfielder who did well to keep the Atalanta players quiet all night. The young Uruguayan has all the makings of a complete player at the heart of the team.
Ferland Mendy – 7
The left back had a quieter display than that of the first leg, but his importance shouldn’t be undermined. Nullified Maehle’s attacking threat, and provided Vinicius with a beautiful through ball which was eventually wasted.
Vinicius Junior – 7
What can we say about the Brazilian youngster? Caused havoc within the Italian defenses every time he made a run towards the box, and if it wasn’t for his lackluster finish, he would have been the ultimate star of the match. Won the penalty kick which led to the second goal.
Karim Benzema – 7
The former Lyon striker is simply irreplaceable within Zinedine Zidane’s tactical scheme, Opened the scoring after being put though by Modric, and could have added another, but his double-header was saved by Sportiello and the post. Also tried to play the provider role at times.
Madrid Substitutes
Eder Militao – 6
Didn’t do anything particularly wrong, but the defense looked a little weaker after Ramos’ exit.
Rodrygo – 6
Almost scored on two occasions but was denied by Sportiello.
Marco Asensio – 6.5
Sealed the match beyond doubt by scoring the third goal almost immediately after his introduction.
Atalanta XI
Marco Sportiello – 5.5
The veteran shot-stopper produced some decent saves to deny the likes of Benzema and Rodrygo, but his match will be remembered for his horrific pass which costed his side the first goal.
Rafael Toloi – 5
The Italo-Brazilian had a torrid time in dealing with the pace and trickery of Vinicius, and ended up giving away a spot kick. Was taken off in the last half hour in order to avoid a second booking.
Cristian Romero – 6.5
As usual, the Argentine seemed to be the best of the defensive bunch. Made some smart interceptions which sparred his team some additional trouble.
Berat Djimsiti – 6
Not a bad performance from the big Albanian, although he was among the players who were left on the ground after Vinicius’ solo run.
Joakim Maehle – 5.5
The Dane was barely witnessed throughout the first half. However, his performance improved after switching to the left flank due to Gosens’ exit, but it was too little too late by then.
Matteo Pessina – 6
The Italian is one of the best technical players in Atalanta, but had to play in deeper role than usual in Freuler’s absence, but still threatened the Madrid defenses with some through balls that found Muriel.
Marten De Roon – 5.5
The Dutch international looked lost and confused without his usual midfield partner. A hard working display, but lacked the technical touch to make a difference in the match.
Robin Gosens – 6.5
The German wingback was arguably the best Orobici player on the field before being forced to leave with an injury. Threatened the Spaniards with his quick runs towards the box, and made a brilliant interception with his head to deny Benzema in front of goal.
Ruslan Malinovsky – 5.5
The Ukrainian is always dangerous when shooting from the outside of the box, but failed to provide the strikers with decent goal-scoring opportunities.
Mario Pasalic – 5
The former Milan man only lasted for 45 minutes before being taken off at half time. Lost his battle against Modric, and couldn’t create anything noteworthy.
Luis Muriel – 6
The Colombian was completely isolated during the first half, and his performance didn’t improve after the introduction of his compatriot Zapata by his side, but at least he provided La Dea’s only goal throughout the two legs with a thunderous freekick.
Atalanta Substitutes
Duvan Zapata – 5.5
Wasted two golden opportunities against Courtois to keep his side’s hopes alive.
Josip Ilicic – 4.5
Another under-par performance against Madrid, as he costed Atalanta the second goal with a poor back-pass that led to the penalty kick.