'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
In the midst of a country divided, Real Madrid travelled to Catalonia not to take on Barcelona, but their little brothers, Girona. And the Catalonian club certainly treated the game like an El Clascio, as they pushed Zidane’s men to their limits.
In the end, Girona would pick up a well-deserved win over the European Champions. Goals from Portu and Stuani were enough to give the minnows a historic victory. For Real Madrid, they now find themselves an insurmountable 8 points behind league leaders, Barcelona.
Here’s how the players rated:
Girona
Bono: 6.5/10
Girona’s no.1 acquitted himself excellently against a front three of Ronaldo, Benzema & Isco. Madrid attempted 6 shots on target, in which Bono responded by making 4 spectacular saves.
Pablo Maffeo: 7/10
Unlike most full-backs that belong to small clubs playing Real Madrid, Maffeo was incredibly offensive-minded. The fact that he’d be up against Marcelo and Isco didn’t faze him as he continued to bomb down the right flank. In defence, he was solid and often got the better of his Brazilian counterpart. In attack, he tormented Marcelo and assisted Girona’s winning goal.
Juanpe: 6.5/10
The centre-back was resolute in his defensive duties, rarely was he found out of place neither did he miss any tackles. The 26-year-old made 2 tackles, won 2 aerials and made 1 crucial interception.
Bernardo Espinosa: 7/10
Having to deal with the movement of both Ronaldo & Benzema was always going to be tricky, but as the central CB of a back three, Espinosa handled it excellently and reduced the two forwards' effectiveness.
Marc Muniesa: 6.5/10
The former Stoke defender reminded the world why he used to be of Premier League quality. He was authoritative, commanding and decisive in all of his actions. The 25-year-old made 4 clearances and won 1 aerial duel.
Aday Benitez: 6.5/10
The left full-back was much more reserved in his attacking contribution than his full-back partner Maffeo. Benitez only ventured forward when safe, as he spent most of the game trying to tuck in next to his back three.
Portu: 7/10
The flashy right winger was rewarded for his constant attacking threat with a vital 2nd goal for Girona. The 25-year-old created 2 chances, completed 15 passes, attempted 3 shots and scored the winner.
Pere Pons: 6.5/10
The tough-tackling midfielder was a constant thorn in the side of Luka Modri? and Toni Kroos. At any given second, he pressed the MF pivot and deprived them of time on the ball.
Álex Granell: 7/10
The no.6 was at the heart of everything good attacking-wise for Girona. He completed 4 successful take-ons, created 3 chances and completed 44 passes.
Borja García: 6.5/10
The left-winger tormented Real’s 18-year-old right-back for his entire time on the pitch. His overflowing energy seemed to infect his teammates as they ran at Madrid’s defence as a unit.
Cristhian Stuani: 7/10
Despite being starved of service for most of the game, when Stuani got his one chance, he took it in emphatic style. He even made a mockery of Nacho Fernandez in the process.
Substitutions:
David Timor: 5.5/10
The defensive midfielder came on to sure up the midfield and combat Madrid’s last-ditch attacks.
Olarenwaju Kayode: 5/10
The winger came in on for the last 15 minutes just to be an outlet for Girona to counter attack through.
Johan Mojica: N/A
Mojica came on in the last dying minutes just to press the Real Madrid centre-backs.
Real Madrid
Kiko Casilla: 4.5/10
There’s a reason Kiko Casilla is Real Madrid’s 2nd choice keeper and against Girona, the 31-year-old showed it. The Spaniard was a bag of nerves in between Real’s sticks and the Los Blancos fans held their breath every time he came out for a cross.
In fact, on several occasions, he stood their motionless as the ball travelled past him to hit the post twice. Lest we forget he conceded 2 goals to an 11th placed team. The sooner Keylor Navas comes back, the better.
Achraf Hakimi: 5/10
For the first time since his breakthrough on the first team scene, Achraf Hakimi showed the tentativeness of his age. He was nervous, shaky and error-prone and subsequently, he was taken off in the 65th minute.
Raphael Varane: 6/10
The Frenchman’s game was hampered when he got injured just before half-time. As a result, Zidane took the youngster off at the break and Madrid’s defensive woes were further exposed.
Sergio Ramos: 4.5/10
The Madrid captain didn’t lead from the back at all. He was irrational, poorly positioned and rash in his decision-making. The Spaniard was at fault for the two goals just as much as Nacho was.
Marcelo: 5/10
It’s hard to think of another time when the Brazilian was so ineffective in attack. Marcelo barely created any chances, neither did he produce several dangerous crosses.
Toni Kroos: 5.5/10
The German controller may have maintained a 92% pass accuracy, but he only created 2 chances throughout the 90 minutes. And neither of those chances were clear-cut for his forwards.
Casemiro: 4.5/10
For once, the Brazilian enforcer was totally inept in his positioning. Girona were able to consistently counterattack through the middle as the defensive midfielder left gaping holes in his irrational surges forward.
Luka Modri?: 5/10
The little magician just wasn’t on his game today. Luka Modri? struggled to influence the game in the final third, misplacing 9 passes and only creating 1 chance.
Isco: 5.5/10
A man usually central to Madrid’s link-up play in attack, Isco just wasn’t allowed the space to work in. He completed 69 passes and only created 1 chance all game. He did score Madrid’s only goal of the game, but besides that, he was ineffective.
Karim Benzema: 5.5/10
The Frenchman is often critiqued for his lack of goalscoring threat, but no one can deny his ability to create for others. It was his great work that created Real’s only goal of the game. However, as the game went on, Benzema’s influence dwindled. In the end, the 29-year-old roamed the final third aimlessly for the rest of the game.
Cristiano Ronaldo: 5/10
The best player in the world continued his poor run of form in the league. The 32-year-old has only scored 1 goal in 540 minutes of La Liga football. It seems as though his poor run of form has deeply affected his teammates, who seem to be showcasing a similar level of pitiable quality. Against Girona, Ronaldo attempted 7 shots on goal, misplaced 6 passes and was dispossessed once.
Substitutions:
Nacho Fernandez: 5/10
Nacho’s performance highlighted how big a loss Raphael Varane was at halftime.
Marcos Asensio: 5/10
The youngster looked out of place in the left wing-back role and could only muster up a few crosses.
Lucas Vasquez: 5/10
Like his Spanish compatriot, Vasquez struggled to make any meaningful contributions from the right flank.
