Real Madrid
Keylor Navas - 7/10
Made a few good saves and commanded his area very well from both open play and set-pieces, in a good response to performances that have earned him scathing reviews in the press recently.
Dani Carvajal - 6/10
Solid defensively, but didn’t get up the other end of the field to really make an impact as he normally would like. Provided a would-be assist to Ronaldo in the first half following a good run, but the Portuguese striker was caught rightfully offside.
Nacho - 7/10
Solid performance from the Real Madrid centre-back, as he was calm under pressure and always took the simplest option to ensure that no chances were taken in his own defensive third at any point of the contest.
Sergio Ramos - 7/10
Organised well and was physical against Aduriz and Raul Garcia as Athletic looked to use their aerial presences in the final third to get a good foothold in the game. No heroics this time, but did the defensive side of things well.
Marcelo - 6/10
Struggled against Williams in the second half, as the young Spaniard used his pace and skill to burst to the right byline with regularity for the home side. Offensively, however, he looked dangerous in and around the box.
Luka Modric - 7/10
Kept control of the midfield battle and was always very careful in his use of the ball in the centre of the park. Responsible and cautious with his play, ensuring that Athletic could not regularly counter in a dangerous manner, and always worked back in.
Casemiro - 8/10
Combative and perhaps fortunate to not get himself two yellow cards on the day, but the Brazilian added balance and defensive stability to Real Madrid’s midfield. Netted the winning goal from close range after a good flick-on from Ronaldo.
Toni Kroos - 7/10
Wasn’t afraid to get readily involved in the midfield battle and his set-piece deliveries proved vital for the away side yet again in LaLiga. His inswinging corner was the catalyst for Casemiro’s winning strike.
Gareth Bale - 5/10
Very quiet game from the Welshman, who stung Kepa’s palms with a shot in the first half but we otherwise entirely anonymous in the Basque country. Didn’t look fully fit or sharp and Balenciaga had an easy outing against the ex-Tottenham wide man.
Karim Benzema - 7/10
Had a brilliant first half and capped it with a lovely finish to open the scoring at San Mames. His movement and link-up play was much better than in recent months and the Frenchman was bright throughout.
Cristiano Ronaldo - 7/10
The Portugal international didn’t have the best of days in front of goal, but he provided two assists to ensure that Real Madrid took the three points. The first was a lovely pass into the box for Benzema before he providing a near-post flick from a corner to find Casemiro in a pocket of space unmarked.
Substitutes
Lucas Vazquez - 6/10
Tracked back diligently and offered plenty of width on the right-hand side, but the Spaniard didn’t manage to whip any dangerous balls in following his bursts down the flank.
Isco - 5/10
Played as a second striker in the dying stages of the game, but the ex-Malaga midfielder didn’t get enough service in pocket of space in between the lines in order to make any noticeable impact offensively.
Morata - 5/10 Given the last five minutes to add some fresh legs up front, coming into the game for Benzema. The Spain international didn’t get any chances and was essentially just used to inject some energy into the contest.
