Editor’s Note: Dear writer, there are a lot of grammatical errors in the article. Normally, we publish such articles in the “comments” section. However, if you can proof read the article and eliminate most of the errors, we would be glad to publish it.
It was a delightful play by Real Madrid at the Bernabeau but the Germans made their way past them. Though Real Madrid won 2-0, Dortmund advanced to the finals on aggregate (4-3). Real Madrid was a little bit out of form, but they gave Klopp’s men a hard time. So here are the match ratings.
1) Diego Lopez – Rating – 7/10
The Spaniard kept up his concentration in the second half with some fine saves. Tipped over Lewandowski’s shot in the 50th minute and made a super save against Gundogan after the hour mark.
2) Raphael Varane – Rating – 6/10
Replaced Pepe who struggled to keep up with the Dortmund pace. The young Frenchman stayed sharp throughout the game and read the game well with his sharp and accurate senses.
3) Sergio Ramos – Rating – 7/10
He did his best to disrupt Lewandowski with strong physical tackles. Netted a goal in the closing stages but it was just not enough.
4) Fabio Coentrao – Rating – 6/10
Quick switching between offense and defence with good crosses inside the box made him crucial for the Dortmund defence. He was able to support Ronaldo in the left wing, but was lucky enough not to get booked for his heavy rash tackles.
5) Mesut Ozil – Rating – 6/10
Completely destroyed the German barricade in the first half with a brilliant chance for an opener in the 15th minute. Almost vanished for the rest of the match until popping up late on with a great assist for Benzema.
6) Xabi Alonso – Rating – 5/10
Wasn’t quite able to show why Madrid chose him as a central mid-fielder and had very low work-rate. He was hugely outshone by Modric but was able to provide quick long passes.
7) Luka Modric – Rating – 7/10
He was able to provide quick attacks with his passes and made the Dortmund defence wary. Without the ball, he proved to be very clumsy.
8) Angel Di Maria – Rating – 6/10
He progressed steadily up the Dortmund hill with his agility and quickly provided support at the back. He set the back foot for Madrid at every occasion.
9) Cristiano Ronaldo – Rating – 5/10
He let the team down when he was needed the most. With two successive chances, one of which went straight at Weidenfeller, he was dormant throughout the match. Disappointing performance by the star could be the reason why Madrid failed to progress to the finals.
10) Michael Essien – Rating – 6/10
Calm and simple play by this mid fielder helped Madrid put on the pressure at the beginning of the match and a late block kept Lewandowski at bay which eventually kept the hopes of Madrid alive.
11) Gonzalo Higuain – Rating – 5/10
The Argentine struggled to keep up with the pace and was unable to find space. Missed a glorious chance after 4 minutes of the game.
Substitutes
1) Sami Khedira – Rating – 6/10
Provided dynamism in the mid-field with a runner from the deep. Came on for Alonso at the 67th minute.
2) Kaka – Rating – 6/10
He was brought on for Coentrao in the 57th minute and was able to race past the heavily congested Dortmund defence.
3) Karim Benzema – Rating – 7/10
The Frenchman did well to spearhead the attack after he replaced Higuain at the 57th minute. He managed to place himself at the right places and score a goal. Thereafter he kept a cool head and supplied a superb cutback for Ramos to net another goal.
Now for the Germans
1) Roman Weidenfeller – Rating – 7/10
Transformed into a world class keeper during the match, he was solid at the back with some terrific saves. He denied Higuain at the 4th minute and astonished Ronaldo by a save in the close range. With his morale and confidence boosted, he kept himself in a good position throughout the game.
2) Neven Subotic – Rating – 6/10
He was dragged out of the defense at the beginning but regained and retained his composure throughout the match. Closely watched Madrid’s winging movements and could have stopped Ramos from scoring the second goal.
3) Mats Hummels – Rating – 7/10
Strong and accurate physical tackles by this German proved to be a challenge for the Madrid offense.
4) Lukasz Piszczek – Rating – 7/10
Typical tireless performance by the right back as he raced up and down the flank providing crosses for the forwards and at the same time, maintained his role as a defender.
5) Marcel Schmelzer – Rating – 5/10
He had a sloppy start by almost gifting Madrid a fourth minute goal until he was caught in possession. But he failed to provide much of an impact.
6) Sven Bender – Rating – 6/10
If there was one thing he lacked in the game then that would be possession. Failed to keep the ball at his feet which led to several attacks by Madrid, but was able to timely tackle in dangerous situations.
7) Ilkay Gundogan – Rating – 8/10
Truly the star player of Dortmund since he was able to slow down Madrid attacks immensely. Provided the much needed relief as he tipped off Varane on several occasions. A sure-shot goal was denied to him by a remarkable save by Diego Lopez, but that didn’t stop the German from keeping the Spanish at bay.
8) Mario Gotze – Rating – NA
The soon-to-be-Bayern star was quickly substituted at the 14th minute and thus was unable to play a role in the match.
9) Jakub Blaszczkowski – Rating – 6/10
His surname maybe hefty but his play was smooth and delicate. He fended off most of the Madrid attacks and quickly switched between offense and defense. Though his attacking prowess didn’t prove to be of use much.
10) Robert Lewandowski – Rating – 7/10
The nightmare of Madrid played a cool headed football despite being involved in a lot of provocations, mostly by Xabi Alonso. But unfortunately he couldn’t show the Polish-Magic as he had shown in the 1st leg.
11) Marco Reus – Rating – 7/10
Supported Lewandowski at every occasion, and found spaces throughout the match. Defensive insight was his key ability in the game and he did a good job filling Gotze’s absence.
Substitutes
1) Felipe Santana – Rating – NA
Came on for Bender at 91st minute and stopped Madrid from getting their decisive third.
2) Sebastian Kehl – Rating – NA
Replaced Lewandowski at the 87th minute and proved to be a strong shield in the ending moments of the game.
3) Kevin Grobkreutz – Rating – 6/10
Came on early at 14th minute in the place of Gotze. Though he worked hard to fill in the shoes of Gotze but unfortunately his insight was not enough.
