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Hoping to seal top spot, Real Madrid welcomed Inter Milan to the Santiago Bernabeu for their final UEFA Champions League Group D fixture on Tuesday night.
Los Blancos had already secured Round of 16 football on matchday five, courtesy of their convincing 3-0 win over Sheriff Tiraspol. Last night was all about progressing as group winners, and the hosts only needed a draw to ensure the desired outcome.
Ambitious as they are, Real Madrid did not play for a draw, even without their talisman Karim Benzema leading the line. They exchanged blows with an in-form Inter side in the first half and scored through Toni Kroos just past the 15-minute mark. The German’s outside-the-box effort was full of venom and left Inter keeper Samir Handanovic for dead.
The Serie A champions were determined to bounce back in the second half and came close on a couple of occasions, but could not apply the finishing touch. In the 79th minute, substitute Marco Asensio curled the ball home with conviction to seal the win and top spot for Real Madrid.
With the win already in the bag, Carlo Ancelotti decided to give Eden Hazard an opportunity to stretch his legs. The Belgian had a 10-minute cameo and looked comfortable jogging around.
Winning without Benzema was never going to be easy, but some players stepped up to the plate to make the task easier.
Here are the five biggest contributors to Real Madrid’s 2-0 win over Inter in the Champions League:
#5 Casemiro
Real Madrid's defensive midfielder Casemiro put in an impressive shift against Inter on Tuesday night. His distribution was crisp, he did not allow the opposition to press him out of play, and the Brazilian always looked for a forward pass.
When Luka Modric pushed forward, Casemiro kept an eye on the right side of the midfield, not affording Inter a moment of peace.
Against Inter, Casemiro completed two clearances, blocked one shot and intercepted three passes. Offensively, he helped the Real Madrid attackers with two key passes.
#4 Marco Asensio
Against Inter, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti started Rodrygo on the right-wing ahead of Marco Asensio. The Spaniard was only introduced after 75 minutes of play.
To the home fans’ delight, Asensio wasted no time settling in and hit the back of the net just four minutes after coming on.
Receiving Dani Carvajal’s ball on the right, Asensio cut in and dispatched an impeccable curler towards the Inter goal. The ball hit the woodwork and went into the top-left corner to put Real Madrid 2-0 up.
#3 Eder Militao
Having lost Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane in the summer, Real Madrid were in dire need of a capable centre-back. Eder Militao has gracefully filled in for the two Real Madrid icons, putting in invaluable shifts time and again this season.
Against Inter Milan, Carlo Ancelotti paired Militao with David Alaba at the heart of the defense. Their understanding was on display once again, as the duo communicated effectively throughout the match.
Militao’s game reading came in handy against a spirited Inter side. The Brazilian sniffed out the danger expertly and hid Real Madrid’s blushes with ease.
The young centre-back was prolific both in the air and on the ground, winning a total of seven tackles. He also blocked a couple of shots, cleared the ball five times and had five interceptions.
#2 Dani Carvajal
Real Madrid right-back Dani Carvajal has not been at his best for the last couple of seasons. He has had to deal with a plethora of injuries over the last two years, forcing him to miss many crucial matches.
Even this season, Carvajal has only started seven La Liga games for Real Madrid, barely doing anything of note. Against Inter, he had the opportunity to regain his confidence, to show that he was still good enough to play against a quality opponent.
Defensively, he looked as solid as ever, blocking Ivan Perisic’s goalbound volley in the nick of time. In total, Carvajal performed two clearances, blocked a couple of shots, and was only dribbled past once.
Carvajal also looked very confident going forward. Apart from setting up Marco Asensio’s 79th-minute goal, Carvajal made four key passes.
He also created a big chance for Mariano Diaz late in the match, but the forward lost his balance at the crucial moment.
#1 Toni Kroos
Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos was at his best against the Serie A giants on Tuesday night. As always, Kroos acted as the metronome of the team, setting the tempo of the game with ease. The 31-year-old World Cup winner maintained 97 percent passing accuracy in the match and completed 10 of his 11 attempted long balls.
Kroos’ highlight of the match came in the 17th minute when he converted from distance against the run of play. The German collected the ball from Rodrygo, surprisingly shifted the ball onto his weaker left foot, and let it fly. Zipping through the air, the ball hit the bottom-right corner, giving Handanovic no chance whatsoever.
The strike marked Kroos’ second Champions League goal of the season for Real Madrid. This is the first time the German has scored more than once in a Champions League campaign for Los Blancos.
