Borussia Dortmund got the point they needed to earn the top spot in Group F after goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Marco Reus helped them recover from 2-0 down to earn a draw in a thrilling game at the Santiago Bernabeu. Karim Benzema’s brace put Real Madrid two goals to the good and on course to pip Thomas Tuchel’s side to the top of the Champions League group.
Aubameyang and Reus’ goals, however, would ensure that the spoils were shared and Zinedine Zidane’s men would have to be content as group runners-up.
We take a look at each player’s performance and assign them a rating from 1-10:
Real Madrid
Keylor Navas – 7
The Costa Rican made a number of important saves to keep his side in the contest against a dangerous Dortmund attack in the second half.
Dani Carvajal – 7
He provided the perfect assist for Karim Benzema to score his first of the night but should have tracked Marcel Schmelzer’s run in the build up to Aubameyang’s goal in the 60th minute. His accurate tackling helped deny the likes of Andre Schurrle from going forward.
Raphael Varane – 7
The French defender didn’t do much wrong during the game, confidently dealing with crosses targeted for Ousmane Dembele and Aubameyang. His only error was failing to mark Aubameyang for his goal, but it was more to do with the quality of Dortmund’s play.
Sergio Ramos – 6.5
He had a decent game but was easily outpaced by Aubameyang on the counter-attack for Dortmund’s equaliser in the 88th minute.
Marcelo – 6.5
The Brazilian was guilty of playing Schmelzer offside for Dortmund’s first goal. Defensively, he was solid but – on a rare occasion – didn’t provide the quality ball into the box going forward.
Luka Modric – 6
Modric was surprisingly below-par at the Bernabeu, misplacing passes in midfield and not pulling the strings of the team the way he would do for fun on any other day. His booking for a foul in the first half further strikes him down.
Casemiro – 7.5
The youngster shielded his defence with conviction, winning back possession from Dortmund when they threatened to get into goal-scoring positions. He even made a number of crucial interceptions to break Dortmund’s play. Gonzalo Castro was most frustrated by Casemiro’s effectiveness in midfield.
James Rodriguez – 7.5
James had a brilliant 90 minutes from the left side of midfield, getting himself into wide positions and linking up with Ronaldo. His pinpoint assist into the box for Benzema to attack and score his second was the icing on the cake.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 6.5
Apart from hitting the woodwork late in the game, Ronaldo had an otherwise quiet game by his own standards. He was dispossessed on quite a few occasions and was not given the space to attack Weidenfeller’s goal as much as he would have hoped to do.
Karim Benzema – 8.5
It was a near-perfect day for the French striker, bagging a brace and denied a hat-trick only by Weidenfeller’s focused goalkeeping.
Lucas Vazquez – 7
His pace down the flank to approach the byline kept Schmelzer on his toes, but this one-dimensional style of play made him predictable as the game progressed.
Substitutes:
Toni Kroos – 6
Kroos replaced Modric for the final third of the game. Apart from a few passes in midfield, he was unable to make much of an impact.
Alvaro Morata – N/A
The Spaniard replaced Benzema for the final 5 minutes.
Borussia Dortmund
Roman Weidenfeller – 7.5
The veteran shot-stopper committed to a series of saves to deny Benzema from getting a hat-trick.
Lukasz Piszczek – 6
The right-back offered nothing in the attacking half of the pitch, as he was mostly resigned to defensive duties against a dangerous James Rodriguez and the always intimidating presence of Ronaldo.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos – 7
A lack of communication between him and Marc Bartra regarding the marking of Benzema for Madrid’s second goal was perhaps the only blip in what was a commanding display from the Greek defender.
Marc Bartra – 7
Like Sokratis, the ex-Barca defender also made a number of vital clearances and tackles to keep Zinedine Zidane’s side at bay.
Marcel Schmelzer – 7
He did brilliantly to lose Carvajal and receive the ball from Weigl, so that he was left with all the space and time needed to lay the ball on a plate for Aubameyang and initiate Dortmund’s comeback. He also had to do the job of tracking down a pacey Lucas Vazquez on the other side of the pitch.
Christian Pulisic – 6
An unspectacular game for the youthful American, who made a lot of forward runs but without much substance. He was also assigned with the unforgiving task of helping Piszczek in defence against Ronaldo and James. He was taken off on the hour mark.
Julian Weigl – 7.5
Weigl provided the perfect floated ball for Schmelzer in the build-up to Dortmund’s opener. He completed most of his passes in the heart of midfield and was instrumental in providing the spark in Dortmund’s attacks in the latter stages of the game.
Gonzalo Castro – 7
He looked dangerous in the attacking third, threatening to split the Real Madrid defence open with that final through pass. However, Casemiro’s intervention thwarted him on numerous instances.
Andre Schurrle – 6
Like Pulisic, Schurrle was taken off after 60 minutes after he too failed to get any joy from crossing from the wing. He lost possession to Vazquez and Carvajal too many times for Tuchel’s liking.
Ousmane Dembele – 6.5
The 19-year old was often seen in a striking partnership with Aubameyang as he tried to feed him with crosses in promising positions. However, he was well marshalled by Varane throughout the game.
Pierre-Emerick-Aubameyang – 8
A goal and an assist for Reus to complete the Dortmund comeback makes the pacey striker a contender for Player of the Match. He looked devastating on the counter-attack and outpaced Ramos with relative ease en route to the equaliser.
Substitutes:
Emre Mor – 6.5
He managed to get high up the pitch in the late stages and got a couple of well-shaped crosses in.
Marco Reus – 7.5
Reus was absolutely brilliant on the left wing since coming on, testing a tiring Carvajal on the edge of the box. He had the simple job of tapping in from Aubameyang’s ball in the 88th minute to deservedly get a point snatch top spot from their opponents.
Sebastian Rode – 6.5
He came on for the final 10 minutes and didn’t offer much apart stringing a few passes together in midfield.
