A blockbuster encounter between two European giants, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund lived exactly up to its billing as both the sides played out a thrilling 2-2 draw at the Westfalenstadion in the UEFA Champions League. Real had the lead on both the occasions but Thomas Tuchel's young force came back with equal vigour in what was the first big test for both the sides this season.
Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring for the visitors and were cruising in the first half until Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang equalised right on the stroke of halftime. Raphael Varane gave the European Champions the lead in the second half but Andre Schurrle grabbed a point for the hosts right at the end, in what was a fair result for both the sides.
Let's have a look at the player ratings from the game between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid:
Borussia Dortmund
Roman Burki: 6/10
Burki did what was expected of him and was not involved in any defensive errors. He could not be blamed for the two goals that Dortmund conceded.
Marcel Schmelzer: 6.5/10
Dortmund's captain has formed a good partnership on the left wing with Raphael Guerreiro and was instrumental in many of the home side's attacks. But should improve his defensive side as Bale got the better of him on many occasions.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos: 7/10
Sokratis was Dortmund's best defender on the night as he was rock solid at the back with winning aerial duels and also helping out his younger centre-back partner at times.
Matthias Ginter: 5/10
The youngster was at fault for both of Madrid's goals as he gave too much space to the Spanish team’s forwards and certainly did not have a good night for his side.
Lukasz Piszcek: 5.5/10
The defender too left too much space on the flanks and it seemed that Piszcek was more interested in going forward rather than concentrating on his foremost duty.
Julian Weigl: 8/10
Probably his best game in Europe yet, Weigl controlled the midfield and dictated the tempo of the game single-handedly. He completed all of his 57 passes in the first half and was one of the best players on the field.
Raphael Guerreiro: 6.5/10
The new signing is proving to be an inspired buy as Dortmund's every attack passed through him and the young Portuguese made Keylor Navas work hard with a couple of well-hit shots.
Gonzalo Castro: 7/10
Castro was one of the best players on the pitch as his pressing churned out many attacks for the hosts. He had a huge role in their first goal with Aubameyang finishing it from just two yards.
Mario Gotze: 5.5/10
Gotze was disappointing, to say the least, as he received the ball in good positions on many occasions but lost possession multiple times which resulted in Madrid launching counter-attacks.
Ousmane Dembele: 5/10
The youngster showed great promise as he tormented Danilo on the left wing but lacked finishing and was selfish at times. No doubt thought that Dembele is a huge star in the making.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 7/10
The Gabonese was at his usual best as he racked up yet another goal against a big side. He should have scored more but was denied on a number of occasions by Keylor Navas.
Substitutions:
Andre Schurrle: 7.5/10
He wasn't 100% fit to play the game but risked himself and got the reward as he scored a thunderous goal to beat Navas at his near post.
Emre Mor: 7/10
The 19-year-old was impressive in his short cameo but should have been brought on earlier by Tuchel.
Christian Pulisic: 7.5/10
Another brilliant substitution by Dortmund as all the second half chances resulted in a point for the home side. The 18-year-old provided the assist for Schurrle's equaliser and was instrumental in picking up the pace in Dortmund's attack late in the second half.
Real Madrid
Keylor Navas: 6/10
Navas made a shocking error in the first goal but improved as the game went on. He made a number of important games which kept Real in the game.
Dani Carvajal: 5.5/10
It was not one of the best games for the full-back as he made some good overlapping runs but was found out in defence.
Raphael Varane: 7/10
The Frenchman was solid throughout and a simple tap in to give Real the lead was the icing on the cake for his performance.
Sergio Ramos: 5/10
A typical Ramos performance. He had some brilliant tackles but was completely overpowered by Sokratis in the set pieces and should have done better in defence.
Danilo: 5/10
One of the miserable nights for the youngster as Dembele and then Pulisic were more than a handful as he was run ragged on the left-hand side.
Toni Kroos: 7.5/10
The German showed great efficiency and was brilliant in his passing as usual. He played a crucial role in the buildup of the first goal.
Luka Modric: 6/10
He was good in maintaining the tempo of the game but was beaten easily by Dortmund's attackers. Modric didn’t have the greatest of games for Real and had a tough time going against the Dortmund midfield.
James Rodriguez: 5.5/10
Rodriguez got a chance in the starting lineup after an injury to Casemiro but could not make his case to play in the starting eleven regularly in the future with a poor performance.
Gareth Bale: 6.5/10
The Welshman provided a stunning backheel assist to Ronaldo and created many opportunities for the visitors. He looked frustrated though as he could not get the deserved delivery from his teammates.
Karim Benzema: 5/10
Another disappointing showing for the striker as Benzema wasted many chances in the first half. He hit the post from a volley in the second period which then resulted in a tap in for Varane.
Cristiano Ronaldo: 8/10
Ronaldo shut down his critics after a poor league game at the weekend with an inspired performance helped Real securing a draw against Dortmund. He scored from a tight angle for the first goal and delivered the cross which resulted in the second goal.
Substitutions:
Mateo Kovacic: 6/10
Kovacic was brought late on and could not provide any noteworthy contribution though he played some good passes in his short appearance.
Alvaro Morata: N/A
Morata was a very late substitution as he barely touched the ball in the final few moments in the game.
