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Real Madrid kickstarted their 2021-22 La Liga campaign with a routine 3-1 away victory over Deportivo Alaves.
The capital side are currently facing controversy off the field, but the players put all that behind them in what was a dominant display from Real Madrid.
Carlo Ancelotti took charge of his first game in his second spell at the helm and named a strong starting lineup, with David Alaba handed his debut.
The visitors controlled proceedings from the start but struggled to make their dominance count. An inspired Alaves defense limiting them to speculative shots from distance.
There was precious little in terms of goalmouth action in a first half that was totally dominated by Real Madrid.
If the first half was lacking in action, the second half was anything but. It took less than two minutes after the restart for Los Blancos to take a deserved lead.
Alaves failed to properly clear their lines and an ingenious back-heeled flick from Eden Hazard allowed Karim Benzema to rifle into the roof of the net with a one-time finish.
Real Madrid doubled their lead eight minutes later when Nacho Fernandez showed great resilience to turn home Luka Modric's cross.
The Croatian international's delivery into the box was precise to the last degree and was even more impressive considering that it was done with his weaker foot.
Benzema got his brace in the 62nd minute, reacting quickest to stab the ball home after Fernando Pacheco had kept out his initial shot at goal.
Real Madrid found themselves on the backfoot two minutes later and they had themselves to blame for giving Alaves a way back in. An underhit pass by Eder Militao put Thibaut Courtois under pressure. The Belgian goalkeeper subsequently brought down John Guidetti in the area for a penalty.
Joselu stepped up to take the resultant spot-kick and made no mistake from 12 yards. He sent Courtois the wrong way to give Alaves a sliver of hope.
It was, however, as good as it got for the Basque outfit and Vinicus Junior added a late fourth for Real Madrid deep into injury time.
Coincidentally, this was a repeat of the same scoreline the last time Madrid visited Estadio Mendizorrotza in January. Benzema also netted a brace in that victory
The win was the perfect start to the campaign for the capital side, with fellow title rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid kickingstarting their season on Sunday.
Here is a rundown of how the Real Madrid players fared in the game.
Real Madrid player ratings against Alaves
Thibaut Courtois - 6/10
The Real Madrid goalkeeper was relatively untested for most of the game, with the majority of his saves being routine ones. He brought down Guidetti in the box but this did not cost his team in the long run.
David Alaba - 7/10
David Alaba did not have as much effect down the flanks as we have become used to. However, he ended his debut for Real Madrid with an assist in injury time.
Nacho - 8.5/10
Nacho was a rock at the back for Real Madrid and made a crucial block from a goal-bound shot in the first half. He also showed his usefulness at the other end when his tenacity helped him poke the ball home in the 56th minute.
Eder Militao - 6/10
Eder Militao's lapse in concentration saw him put Courtois under pressure. But other than that, the Brazilian defender barely put a foot wrong all game.
Lucas Vazquez - 6/10
Lucas looked off the pace for most of the first half and was guilty of several poor decisions. He was lucky not to be penalized for a handball in the box. But he got better in the second half and played a key role in the opening goal.
Luka Modric - 8/10
Luka Modric gave a midfield masterclass to ensure Real Madrid dominated proceedings from start to finish. The 35-year-old provided the assist for Nacho's goal with an exquisite cross and was replaced by Marco Asensio in the 87th minute.
Casemiro - 7/10
The Brazil international was guilty of showboating on occasion. But he combined well with Fedrico Valverde to shield the defense and also made forays forward.
Federico Valverde - 7/10
Federico Valverde was effective in his distribution to help Real Madrid retain possession. He also ventured forward sporadically but failed to make the most of the half-hances that fell his way.
Eden Hazard - 6.5/10
Eden Hazard started a season fit for the first time in his Real Madrid career and showed glimpses of what he is capable of. The Belgium international acted as a decoy for Benzema and his assist for the Frenchman's opening goal was an indication of his quality.
Karim Benzema - 9/10
Karim Benzema is Real Madrid's bonafide talisman and the 33-year-old once again stepped up to the plate with a captain's performance. The France international has been earmarked as one of the forwards to watch in La Liga this season. He continued from where he left off with a brace in a man-of-the-match display.
Gareth Bale - 6/10
Gareth Bale was full of enthusiasm on his return to Real Madrid, which has not always been the case. The Wales international mostly tried his luck from distance in the first half and was replaced by Rodrygo in the 68th minute.
Substitutes
Vinicius Jr - 7.5/10
Vinicius Jr brought a different dimension to Real Madrid's attack upon his introduction in place of Eden Hazard in the 65th minute. His directness put Alaves on the backfoot. He scored a deserved goal in injury time when he rose highest to head home David Alaba's cross.
Rodrygo - 6/10
Rodrygo came on with 23 minutes to go and made one tackle in his time on the field in addition to a 100% pass accuracy.
Marco Asensio - N/A
Asensio came on with a few minutes left to play and barely had a touch of the ball.
Isco - N/A
The former Malaga man came on with two minutes to go and did not do anything to warrant a rating.
Luka Jovic - N/A
Jovic replaced two-goal hero Karim Benzema with one minute of regular time to go.
