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Real Madrid C.F hosted Levante at the Santiago Bernabeu in what was an early kickoff. The Los Blancos won the game 3-2 and accumulated three crucial points to keep the pressure on league leaders, Atletico Madrid.
Karim Benzema scored a brace and Casemiro scored the third for Zinedine Zidane's side. Meanwhile, Borja Mayoral and Gonzalo Melero were on the score sheet for Levante. Los Blancos were unplayable in the opening half but the visitors crept their way back in the game into the second half.
The Frenchman broke the deadlock in the 25th minute and what followed was just a Los Blancos masterclass. Toni Kroos, Casemiro and James Rodriguez's midfield trio were toying with Levante in the center of the park, whereas Vinicius Jr, Marcelo and Dani Carvajal lit up the flanks and gave Paco Lopez' men no chance in the first 45 minutes of the game.
#5 Vinicius Jr needs to work on his finishing and final pass
The Brazilian may be a star in the making but to reach the peak, he needs to work on his finishing skills. The teenager is often impulsive and makes the wrong decisions in the final third.
Vinicius Jr. created all kinds of trouble for Levante but could have had a goal or two to his name. The 19-year-old missed two big chances and denied Eden Hazard his first assist in Real's jersey. Had he been patient, he could have slotted in the cutback from the Belgian. He had five shots of which he could have easily scored 2. Although he did slot one in the back of the net, it was ruled offside.
The Brazilian is currently on a learning curve and will definitely mature with time. Apart from his finishing, he had a great game as he constantly kept switching flanks to confuse Levante's defenders and his chemistry with Marcelo and Benzema was unreal.
Vinicius Jr. also set up Casemiro with an inch perfect low lying cross to give Real Madrid their third of the afternoon.
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#4 Levante came hard at Real Madrid after the break
Toni Kroos, Casemiro and James Rodriguez had the game under control in the first half as they were creating ample of chances, were press resistant, and were getting out of tight spaces with ease. But Paco Lopez' men came hard at Zidane's side in the second half.
The visitors found space behind Carvajal to find their opener which was slotted in by Real Madrid loanee Borja Mayoral in the 49th minute. Madrid found it hard to push the Granotas behind as they kept coming at them. With Casemiro coming off for Eden Hazard, the Los Blancos lost some balance as Levante eased their way in the midfield.
Lopez' men were rewarded with their second of the game as Carvajal was unable to deal with a cross from a set-piece which was headed in by Gonzalo Melero. Real's defence is still in shambles as they could have easily given a 3 goal lead away if not for Thibaut Courtois' fantastic 91st minute save to deny the visitors. The game went down to the wire and the Belgian stood tall in the dying minutes to clinch all 3 points for his side.
#3 James Rodriguez was the star of the match
James Rodriguez was the highlight of the game. He was pulling the strings for Real Madrid and added some flair to the attack with some great vision and creative incisive passes.
The 28-year-old lost the ball a few times trying to unlock the defensive line of Levante but worked hard to regain possession for his side. James set up Benzema for his second as he completely bewildered Paco Lopez' men before putting one on the plate for the Frenchman to finish.
Since coming back, James has looked immense. The Colombian helps in the buildup, has great vision for cutting passes, crosses the ball well and his awareness is just commendable.
James gave his everything on the pitch and made a statement to Zidane that he is ready to take on the challenge at Bernabeu. He was the player with most chances created (6) and had the most tackles (3).
#2 Real Madrid's class shone through
Despite what the scoreline reflects, Real Madrid were just unplayable in the first 45 minutes of the game. James, Kroos and Casemiro ran the show from the centre whereas Marcelo, Carvajal, Vazquez and Vinicius Jr. bombarded the flanks.
Real's defence had nothing to do in the first half except for resisting the press from Levante and getting out of tight spaces, which they did with ease. Courtois made his first save of the game in the 91st minute to deny Levante an equaliser and that speaks volumes of what a game the Los Blancos had. Barring those two lapses which lead to goals for the visitors, Real couldn't be blamed for doing much wrong.
Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane helped build from the back whereas the fullbacks enjoyed their time in the opposition's half. Casemiro had a good game as he nullified any threat that came from the centre of the park and Kroos, James and Benzema's link-up was a treat to watch, which continued after Hazard's introduction as well
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#1 Karim Benzema is undoubtedly Real Madrid's best player right now
Karim Benzema is undoubtedly Real Madrid's best player right now. The Frenchman broke the deadlock when he headed in a delicious ball from Dani Carvajal in the 25th minute of the game after losing his marker.
Benzema scored again in the 31st minute to double Real's lead after James Rodriguez perfectly set him up. Los Blancos number 9 looked threatening from the starting whistle as he forced a wonderful save from Aitor after a great passage of play from James and Marcelo.
The 31-year-old was omnipresent as he was dropping in deep to create play, press the Levante defense and force some errors. Benzema was vital in the sequence that saw Vinicius Jr. set up Casemiro for Real's third.
The Frenchman along with Eden Hazard could be a treat to watch and they gave glimpses of the same in the 20 minutes that they played together.
