Sunday’s contest turned out to be a tricky one for Real Madrid in the absence of Vinicius Jr, but another Brazilian settled any nerves. Rodrygo bagged an emphatic brace, scoring two wonderful goals, before setting up the third — inevitably finished by Jude Bellingham. This was hardly a vintage Madrid performance as injuries in midfield made Los Blancos look a disjointed side at times, but the quality of their star men was enough to seal a comfortable 3-0 win.
Rodrygo opened the scoring, nutmegging one defender, steering around another, and whipping a shot into the top corner. Cadiz stayed in the game, though, with Andriy Lunin’s acrobatic save denying an equaliser in the first half.
The second was more routine, with Rodrygo at the centre of it all. His second goal came at a vital time, with a mazy run and collected finish alleviating an extended period of Cadiz pressure, and offering his side a comfortable lead. The Brazilian assisted the third, too, feeding Bellingham with an angled pass, before the English midfielder arrowed his shot across the goalkeeper to put the contest beyond doubt.
This wasn’t always easy — nor did it look good for long passages. But with Barcelona dropping points, and surprise package Girona constantly picking them up, it was a vital win.
90minsoccer rates Real Madrid’s players from Nuevo Mirandilla…
Goalkeeper & Defence
Andriy Lunin (7/10):
Made a fine diving stop in the first half. Wasn’t tested much otherwise. Nice to get a clean sheet.
Dani Carvajal (6/10):
Offered plenty of legs down the right wing, as well as some solid defensive work when required.
Antonio Rudiger (7/10):
Commanding in the air, timed his tackles well, and continuously just dumped the ball off to Luka Modric. Classy.
Nacho (6/10):
Didn’t always close spaces down effectively, and Madrid gave up the odd chance as a result.
Ferland Mendy (6/10):
Much better than Ancelotti’s other options on the defensive side of things. Not as valuable going forward, but that mattered little here.
Midfield
Toni Kroos (6/10):
His lack of mobility as a pivot is concerning, but he still circulated the ball effectively.
Federico Valverde (7/10):
His driving runs from midfield really opened the game up, and helped cover for the aging legs of his two central midfield partners.
Luka Modric (7/10):
A composed performance in the middle of the park. Unlucky not to score after lashing one off the post. Removed with an apparent quad issue. Still wonderful to watch, even at 38.
Jude Bellingham (8/10):
A welcome return, even if he was a bit rusty at times. His movement helped create space for both of Rodrygo’s goals. Netted his 14th of the season, which felt inevitable.
Attack
Rodrygo (9/10):
Bagged a wonderful opener. His second wasn’t bad, either. Timed his assist for Bellingham perfectly, too. He has now scored in three straight games for the first time in his Madrid career. Vinicius who?
Joselu (6/10):
Wasn’t particularly involved in the first half, let a chance go begging in the second. It wasn’t about him, though.
Subs & Manager
Dani Ceballos (6/10):
Given 25 minutes to impress in his return to the side. Kept things tidy.
Lucas Vazquez (N/A):
Offered relief for Rodrygo.
Gonzalo Garcia (N/A):
Wasn’t on the ball much in his La Liga debut.
Fran Garcia (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Nico Paz (N/A):
Another cameo from the Argentine. Looked bright, in moments.
Carlo Ancelotti (7/10):
Had to make do without Vinicius, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga for the first time. Madrid weren’t at their best, but still handled things well throughout. Hard to complain about a 3-0 win.
