Real Madrid live to fight another day in the La Liga title race, thanks to a 1-0 win over Getafe at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez on Wednesday. Arda Guler’s goal was the difference between the two sides as Los Blancos picked up three crucial points with five matches to go until the end of the season.
They remain at second place, four points behind Barcelona in the league standings, and are up against the Catalans in the Copa del Rey final on Saturday. Before looking ahead to the Kings Cup fixture, here is how the players fared in a hard-earned victory over Getafe in the midweek clash.
Player Ratings
Thibaut Courtois – 8/10
Courtois made six saves, including a very good one in stoppage time in the second half. Statistically, he was Madrid’s best player on an uneventful night.
Lucas Vazquez – 7/10
Vazquez did not have much to do defensively but going forward, he looked better than he usually has done this season. He created a chance and had one successful dribble.
Raul Asencio – 7.5/10
Asencio was very good at the back once more. A composed performance by the Castilla graduate was important to Real Madrid keeping their third successive clean sheet in the league.
David Alaba – 7/10
Alaba featured for only a half but looked good in that period. He had two clearances and a 95% passing accuracy while playing out from the back but seems to have picked up another fitness issue.
Fran Garcia – 6.5/10
Fran Garcia made promising runs with the ball but came out second best in terms of physicality. Getafe dealt with him very easily, but without the ball, he had six clearances.
Aurelien Tchouameni – 7.5/10
Tchouameni played the second half as a central defender and looked brilliant as he kept Borja Mayoral quiet with ease. He made six clearances and won five duels in the match.
Federico Valverde – 7/10
An average game by Valverde’s lofty standards but he did his job well. He linked up play in the final third nicely and was also in the right places without the ball to help win back possession.
Arda Guler – 7.5/10
The match-winner for Real Madrid, Guler played a deeper role for much of the game. He dictated play nicely with 68 completed passes and also created three chances.
Brahim Diaz – 6.5/10
Brahim had three shots on target and two successful dribbles but did little to bother Getafe in the final third. Like a handful of his teammates, he was taken care of quite easily by the hosts’ physicality.
Vinicius Junior – 7.5/10
Vinicius was electric down the left as he had five dribbles and created three chances. He would have had a couple of assists were it not for some poor finishing by his teammates.
Endrick – 6/10
Endrick was the chief target of Getafe’s hard physical launches at Madrid’s players. The teenager was distracted from the word go and faced more frustration as time passed after his attempt at goal was cleared off the line.
Substitutes
Eduardo Camavinga – 7.5/10
A very good second half by Camavinga, who helped Real Madrid win the ball in their own half and charge forward when Getafe pressed high. He got injured, however, and will miss the remainder of the season.
Jude Bellingham – 6/10
Bellingham came on as the Merengues looked to see the game off. He did not have much involvement on the pitch for the 25 minutes he spent outfield after his introduction.
Rodrygo Goes – 6/10
Rodrygo single-handedly kept the left flank alive when Real Madrid looked to shut shop at the back. He did not have much support higher up, but was perhaps unlucky not to win a penalty.
Dani Ceballos – N/A
Ceballos came on for only the final 10 minutes and had a mere seven touches of the ball, so there was very little involvement from him to be rated fairly.
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