Get caught up on all the action from the weekend, including Cristiano Ronaldo’s home debut for Juventus and Real Madrid’s scare at Girona.
Real Madrid came from behind to record a 4-1 victory over Girona at Montilivi with a Karim Benzema brace and goals from Gareth Bale and Sergio Ramos erasing Borja Garcia’s opener for the home side.
Positives
After a poor first half in which Madrid only ended level thanks to a fairly soft penalty, Julen Lopetegui’s side reacted after the break to blow Girona away with a scintillating display of attacking football.
Bale and Benzema are clearly enjoying the limelight and are developing a post-Cristiano Ronaldo partnership that augurs well for the season. In support, Marco Asensio posed questions that the home defence had no answer to other than to concede two penalties.
Negatives
Real’s defensive shambles in the first half should have been punished further and it was left to Nacho to mop up the mess created by his teammates. Vinicius Junior’s demotion to the reserves and zero minutes for Dani Ceballos, Marcos Llorente or Borja Mayoral suggest preseason may have been a false dawn for fans of giving youth a chance.
Manager rating out of 10
7 — Lopetegui changed tack after a first 45 full of possession but little incision. His instruction to play more directly served its purpose and Real danced to a different beat after the break when Isco took the reins from Toni Kroos. There is still work to do, but if the Real boss can bottle that second half he’s onto something potentially unstoppable.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Keylor Navas, 9 — Thibaut Courtois was expected to make his debut in Montilivi but Navas will be hard to dislodge after this performance. He couldn’t do much about Girona’s goal but made four saves to consolidate Real’s lead, the pick a stunning stoppage-time palm to deny Alex Granell.
DF Dani Carvajal, 6 — Hacked a clearance off the line on 25 minutes at 1-0 down but otherwise a rare low-key performance from the Spain international, who offered little going forward and not much else at the back when a cool head was required.
DF Nacho, 8 — Made the initial block on Choco Lozano in the build-up to the goal in a standard unflappable and versatile performance, switching to left-back when Raphael Varane came on. A lifeline for a succession of Real coaches, Lopetegui knows on which side his bread is buttered.
DF Sergio Ramos, 7 — Took his tally for Madrid to 75 goals with a cheeky Panenka to level the score after playing his part in allowing Borja to hammer home. Led from the front and back as Real launched their comeback.
Gareth Bale is enjoying the limelight after Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure.
DF Marcelo, 6 — Given the runaround by Portu’s marauding down the right and the first line of blame for the goal but gave as good as he got on the front foot and delivered some glorious balls from the flank. Still a concern defensively, he was hauled off on the hour mark.
MF Casemiro, 6 — Sold a dummy by Borja in a freeze-frame example of his lunge-first tendency — something Lopetegui needs to iron out. Still a little off the pace, he made more tackles than any of his teammates but these are becoming increasingly last-ditch in the absence of that inch of anticipation.
MF Toni Kroos, 6 — Gave up on tracking Lozano for Girona’s goal and a dreadful first-half free kick highlighted his lack of form. Tried to pull the strings in Luka Modric’s absence but cut a peripheral figure despite a typically emphatic pass-completion rate.
MF Isco, 8 — A couple of moments of magic — a decent chance after a one-two with Asensio and an inch-perfect assist into the stride of Bale — were enough to nose in front of his midfield competitors for that place behind Benzema, one that will be key if Real do not add to the squad before Friday.
FW Gareth Bale, 9 — Drifted in and out of the first half but leapt into life after a shot into the stratosphere at the start of the second. A cracking hit that Bono did well to keep out was followed by a glorious a la carte gallop and strike and an assist on a plate for Benzema. Bale now has six in his last six games and is in irresistible form.
FW Marco Asensio, 8 — Fleet footwork in the area earned two penalties and he is oozing confidence, running at defenders and pulling off a back-heel that was as aesthetic as it was effective. Another player fully benefitting from the absence of Ronaldo and a perfect complement to his strike partners on the night.
FW Karim Benzema, 9 — An impressive work-rate, pressing, dropping deep, moving left, linking play — Lopetegui might just make a fan favourite out of Benzema. An energetic all-around performance could and should have reaped more than two but in one game he scored almost half as many league goals as he managed in 2017-18.
Substitutes
DF Raphael Varane, 7 — On for Marcelo to add a bit of assuredness at the back and did just that.
MF Luka Modric, NR — On for Isco for a 15-minute cameo, still showing signs of rust as a loose ball to Asensio demonstrated.
FW Lucas Vazquez, NR — On for Bale on 87′ and in the book 60 seconds later for an unsolicited refereeing opinion.
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