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Real Madrid grilled out a narrow victory against 10-man Atalanta in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
Los Blancos beat the Italians 1-0 thanks to a fantastic late curler from Ferland Mendy. The Frenchman scored in the game's dying minutes to give his side a one-goal advantage going into the return leg.
Real Madrid had several of their high-profile stars sidelined due to injury and went into the game as second favorites to seal it. Their task eased up when Remo Freuler saw red in the 17th minute for denying Mendy a clear goal-scoring chance. But to everyone's astonishment, Real suffered as they ground out a result in their favor.
Let's take a look at the Real Madrid player ratings from a successful night.
Real Madrid Player Ratings
Thibaut Courtois - 7/10
Thibaut Courtois had nothing to do throughout the game, as he was hardly threatened by the hosts. The Belgian was quick to sniff out any danger and to come off his line to foil any immediate threat.
Ferland Mendy - 8.5/10
Ferland Mendy scored a beautiful goal to save Los Blancos' blushes. His 86th-minute strike gave Real Madrid the away goal advantage they were looking for. The Frenchman was impressive defensively, but also provided an additional option up-front.
Nacho - 8/10
Nacho was rock solid at the back in the absence of Sergio Ramos. The Spaniard won seven duels, made four recoveries, won three tackles, and completed two dribbles successfully. Nacho made an impressive run in the opening half to bamboozle Atalanta's defensive line, but failed to capitalize on that opportunity.
Raphael Varane - 7.5/10
Raphael Varane led Real Madrid's back-line by example. The Frenchman was unbeatable last night. He made 12 recoveries, won five duels, and made four clearances throughout the game.
Lucas Vasquez - 8/10
Lucas Vasquez was an absolute workhorse last night. He had the entire right flank covered. Vasquez was astute defensively, as well as offensively. He combined well with Marco Asensio and Luka Modric up-front. The Spaniard's darting runs down the line and crosses had the hosts on their toes.
Toni Kroos - 8.5/10
Toni Kroos was up to his usual best as he conducted play for Zinedine Zidane's men. The German set the tempo of the game as he sprayed long balls all over to switch play and ease the transition from defense to attack. Kroos completed the most number of passes (129) throughout the game.
Casemiro - 7.5/10
Casemiro was unbeatable defensively, but was poor with his ball distribution. The Brazilian made some loose passes to break the flow. Besides that, he acted as a shield to the Real Madrid back-line. Casemiro made eight recoveries, won seven duels and made three interceptions throughout the night.
Luka Modric - 8.5/10
Luka Modric looked like his usual best against Atalanta. With Kroos by his side, Modric took complete control of the midfield. He created five chances for Real Madrid. The Croatian was quite instrumental in speeding up the transition. Moreover, he even set-up Mendy goal which turned out to be the winner.
Vinicius Jr - 6/10
Vinicius Jr had a bright start to the game, but soon faded away. The Brazilian kept the hosts thinking overtime with his skills and pace, but he was unable to create anything substantial out of it. Vinicius ended up losing the ball on numerous occasions, causing Real Madrid to rebuild again.
Isco - 7.5/10
Isco showed a glimpse of his former self last night. He was all over the place for Real Madrid. With his neat ball control and incisive passes, he did try to create something concrete, but unfortunately was not able to. The Spaniard made three interceptions, won five duels, made four recoveries and completed four dribbles during his stay on the pitch.
Marco Asensio - 6.5/10
Marco Asensio had a decent outing. The Spaniard had his moments, but left a lot to be desired. Everytime he got on the ball, he tried to progress higher up the pitch.
Substitutes
Mariano Diaz - 6/10
Mariano Diaz was brought on by Zidane in search of a goal. But the 27-year-old was unable to break the deadlock as he was isolated up-front and was devoid of service.
Hugo Duro - 6/10
Hugo Duro gave it a go on a couple of occasions but was denied by some resilient defending by the hosts.
Sergio Arribas - 6/10
Did not have much impact on the game.
