Real Madrid suffered a shock 2-1 defeat to Valencia on matchday 30 of La Liga on Saturday at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. Mouctar Diakhaby and Hugo Duro struck in either half to give Los Che their first win on the road this season, while Madrid’s goal, which came through Vinicius Junior, was not enough to give them any share in the spoils after the Brazilian’s penalty miss in the first half.
The result, followed by Barcelona’s 1-1 draw with Real Betis now means the Catalans have a four-point lead at the summit of La Liga with the Whites’ hold on the title race significantly loosening by another defeat. Before they turn their attention to the Champions League quarter-final against Arsenal, here is a look at the player ratings from the Valencia game.
Player Ratings
Fran Gonzalez – 5/10
Fran Gonzalez conceded two goals for which he could not have done much and did not have a lot else to do in a game which marked his official debut for Real Madrid.
Lucas Vazquez – 5/10
Another poor Real Madrid display was headlined by a poor outing for Vazquez. He made little impact with the ball yet again and struggled against Andre Almeida’s pace and footwork when defending.
Aurelien Tchouameni – 6.5/10
Tchouameni won nine duels at the back and was arguably the team’s best defender. His marking for the first goal could have been better, however, as there was no communication whatsoever with Antonio Rudiger which ultimately left Diakhaby free.
Antonio Rudiger – 5.5/10
Rudiger and Tchouameni have not been compatible together in defence and it showed once more. As the Frenchman controlled things at the back, the former Chelsea star seemed lost and unlike his usual, proactive self.
Fran Garcia – 5/10
An underwhelming performance by Fran Garcia, who made some terrible decisions up front and delivered inaccurate crosses despite not having much work to do without the ball.
Federico Valverde – 7.5/10
Valverde dictated play from a deeper position in midfield as he completed 98% of his 88 attempted passes, won eight duels and made seven recoveries in the match.
Luka Modric – 6.5/10
Modric seemed to be getting overworked as neither Brahim Diaz nor Vazquez were helping him do better with the ball down the right side, hence limiting the Croatian’s creativity and overall impact.
Jude Bellingham – 7/10
Bellingham linked play well between the attackers and created four big chances in the game with his passes in behind the backline. He was also credited with the assist for the lone Real Madrid goal.
Vinicius Junior – 6/10
A frustrating outing by Vinicius, who missed a penalty, and looked timid with the ball at his feet. He failed to have any successful dribble, positioned himself poorly and was a spectator for much of the game in spite of scoring.
Kylian Mbappe – 7.5/10
Mbappe looked like the only player in the final third who was determined to turn things around. He won e a penalty and got into great positions but was thwarted by Giorgi Mamardashvili twice with good saves.
Brahim Diaz – 5/10
Like Vinicius, Brahim was also a watcher for much of the game. He had almost ...
