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Real Madrid soothed the frayed nerves at the club with a morale-raising 4-1 win over a spirited Valencia, spearheaded by Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Portuguese struck twice from the spot to put the visitors 2-0 ahead by the half-hour mark, while Marcelo put the game beyond doubt deep in the second-half after Santi Mina threatened a riposte with a close-range header.
When it all seemed in the bag, Toni Kroos laid the final nail in the coffin as Los Blancos wrapped up an emphatic victory for second league game running.
Here’s how each player from both sides fared under the sweltering Mestalla sun.
Valencia C.F
Neto – 6.5/10
The Brazilian was unlucky with both the penalties by Ronaldo, whereas the other two goals were just beyond him. However, Neto did make a few decent stops that prevented the scoreline from becoming more embarrassing.
Martin Montoya – 5.5/10
Had a nightmarish first-half after conceding two penalties for some horrendous fouls on Ronaldo and Benzema. But the former Barcelona man recouped after the break to link-up with Mina and Rodrigo whilst also keeping close tabs on the lung-bursting runs by Ronaldo and Bale.
Ezequiel Garay – 6.5/10
The centre-back could do nothing about Marcelo and Kroos bagging one each late into the match, but closely tracked Ronaldo and Benzema while he also laid some crucial crosses into the box.
Francis Coquelin – 6/10
The former Gunner was given a rare opportunity in the starting XI and did little to nothing to prove his worth, albeit he was being played out of position. One of his few moments of grace came when he blocked Kroos' effort for a corner early on.
Toni Lato – 6.5/10
Lato proved to be the surprise outlet down the left, foraying into the box relentlessly to deliver numerous crosses. The flair he exhibited tapered a bit in the second-half, as evinced by the moment wherein he was eviscerated by Bale in a one-on-one duel on the flanks.
Goncalo Guedes - 6/10
He was cruelly taken off at half-time, but that wasn’t without some promising link-up plays with the attackers, although Guedes was guilty of missing a superb opportunity at the stroke of half-time when he dragged a Rodrigo pass painfully wide off the mark.
Daniel Parejo – 7.5/10
The dead-ball specialist was on show today, skillfully sending in corners - one of which was even buried into the back of the net by Mina. Parejo also pulled out difficult stops from Navas as he was a constant threat to the visitors.
Geoffrey Kondogbia – 7/10
An active figure in the centre of the park, the Frenchman sprayed passes up hill and down dale and some of the best chances of the first-half for Valencia emerged through him. He even mustered a shot at goal; the most dangerous one by the home side today.
Jose Gaya – 7/10
The attacking lynchpin channelled most of the Bats’ attacking pelt, and linked-up with his team-mates well. Gaya could have done better with the pass from Soler after the hour mark, but also went into the books for a clumsy tackle on Rafael Varane.
Santi Mina – 7/10
Leading the line with Rodrigo, Mina tried his best to cause problems to Madrid’s defence and also raised hopes of a comeback with a headed goal after the break.
Rodrigo – 6.5/10
Sparkling in bits, Rodrigo had a few good touches inside the area and some moments of promise when he went close to finding the net in the first-half. Made way for Simone Zaza with 15 minutes remaining.
Substitutes
Carlos Soler – 7/10
Brought a semblance of potency to the attack with his incisive through-balls and partnering well with the likes of Parejo, Mina and Gaya. Soler should’ve been given more time to strut his stuff by retaining him in the starting line-up.
Simone Zaza – 5.5/10
The Italian was well below his usual best and cut an isolated figure. Zaza lacked the attacking intent with which he’s known for at Valencia and was merely a passenger here.
Andreas Pereira – N/A
The last substitution by Valencia, Pereira was also the least impactful one, frolicking in no man’s land as he was anyways handed little time to flex his footballing chops.
Real Madrid
Keylor Navas – 8/10
The Costa Rican was back to his brilliant best on an evening he was kept busy by the buzzing Valencian attack. Pulled off some crucial saves and held firm when pressure threatened to pile over.
Dani Carvajal – 7.5/10
Where he lacked his usual threats down the flanks, Carvajal came up trumps at the back putting in a terrific performance to block numerous attempts or nipping attacks in the bud with vital interventions. Also picked up a needless yellow for his reckless challenge.
Rafael Varane – 7/10
The Frenchman had a lot on his plate today but buckled not once. He did well to deal with the likes of Parejo and Gaya when the Valencian duo came close, while also making clearances. Varane was harshly shown a yellow for a handball that never was.
Nacho – 7.5/10
The Spaniard’s stock continues to rise as he put on another encouraging display at the heart of the defence to deny Valencia on multiple occasions.
Marcelo – 8.5/10
Real Madrid’s perennial unsung hero, Marcelo seemed rejuvenated today; buccaneering down the wings and laying things on the platter to anyone inside the box. He capped off an amazing outing with an equally amazing goal.
Luka Modric – 7.5/10
The Croat tried his customary long-range efforts from outside the box but to no avail as they sailed harmlessly into the stands. However, Modric was an active participant in maintaining dominion in the midfield and pushing bodies ahead.
Casemiro – 7/10
No great shakes from the Brazilian today, apart from grabbing the camera footages for a foul on Parejo that almost ended up in a penalty kick for the home side, before the roles reversed and the latter was shown a yellow.
Toni Kroos – 8/10
The Madrid engine was a source of endless deliveries in the box as it was disheartening to see hardly any of them coming to fruition despite all the pomp and panache. Nevertheless, the German capped off an easy outing with a goal, only his ninth in La Liga.
Gareth Bale – 7/10
Despite being a menacing figure on the field, Bale somehow ran short of the cutting edge he displayed in the 7-1 demolition of Deportivo last weekend. The Welshman did cause problems down the flanks and linked well with his ‘BBC’ team-mates in their first start together in the season.
Karim Benzema – 6/10
The Frenchman’s dry spell continues as he endured another frustrating and unfruitful evening. It was all the more evident by his reaction on the bench upon being substituted. Hard to say, but Benzema was uncharacteristically one of the weakest links for the visitors today.
Cristiano Ronaldo – 8/10
Backed-up his brace from last league outing with another one here, albeit from the spot. The Portuguese nonetheless made no mistake from 12 yards on both occasions and found himself in the thick of the things. The chatters of his dramatic fall from grace should begin to boil down now.
Substitutes
Lukas Vazquez – 6/10
Replaced Bale with 20 minutes still on the clock but failed to show up. The Spaniard has performed in only first and starts this season, but today seems wasn’t meant to be his day.
Marco Asensio – 7.5/10
Benzema’s substitution to sub him on proved to be an upgrade; kind of retrofit to a well-functioning unit. Asensio assisted Marcelo with simplest of nudges and injected potency to the attack which the former failed to.
Mateo Kovacic – 8/10
Despite the negligible time given to him, the Croat youngster got himself an assist with a cheeky backheel for Kroos to complete the rout.
