Mendy 5, Vinicius 9 | Manchester City 2-3 Real Madrid – Player ratings | OneFootball

Real Madrid came from behind twice to secure a 3-2 win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium to claim a vital first leg advantage in the Champions League play-offs. The first ever win for Carlo Ancelotti’s men at the home of the Premier League champions came in typical fashion.

After Erling Haaland scored early in the game, the Merengues looked very much in the game and needed a volley from Kylian Mbappe to equalise at the hour mark. Though they showed attacking intent, Haaland made it a brace from himself from the penalty spot in the 80th minute after Phil Foden was fouled in the box.

Brahim Diaz was instantly impactful off the bench as he neatly stroked past Ederson six minutes later and just two minutes after coming on after Vinicius Junior’s initial shot was parried, with Jude Bellingham grabbing the winner in the second minute of stoppage time with a finish from very close range.

Real Madrid were understandably happy with the win ahead of the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu next week although there would be a sense in the dressing room that more control could have been gained in the tie had the team converted more chances in the final third. Nonetheless, here are their player ratings:

Player ratings:

Thibaut Courtois – 7

Though he conceded twice, Thibaut Courtois made a good save off Foden and for other parts of the game he did not have much to do. He helped the team in building from the back really well with his distribution.

Federico Valverde – 8

Federico Valverde was impressive at right back once more as he had Jack Grealish and Savinho well within his grasp. He played some great passes down the wing, including a peach to Bellingham, which the Englishman shot straight at Ederson.

Aurelien Tchouameni – 8

Fantastic performance by Aurelien Tchouameni, who has been criticised many a times this season. He was good with clearing the ball and had eyes on the opponents making late runs into the box.

Raul Asencio – 8.5

Arguably the best defender on the pitch with the least experience, Raul Asencio had Haaland’s number and made some crucial blocks to prevent the Citizens from scoring more goals.

Ferland Mendy – 5

Did not do any good on the pitch as he did not contest a single tackle, made no clearance and also missed a chance to score from point blank range. The less said about Ferland Mendy’s display, the better.

Eduardo Camavinga – 7

Apart from a few cheap giveaways, Eduardo Camavinga did well, particularly in possession as he conducted play in midfield nicely alongside Dani Ceballos.

Dani Ceballos – 7.5

Dani Ceballos controlled the game well for Real Madrid when in possession and provided the assist for Mbappe’s goal. Unfortunately, he made a rash challenge on Foden which led to City’s penalty.

Jude Bellingham – 8.5

Yet another superb performance from Jude Bellingham, who was all over the pitch and played some good offensive passes in particular. He ideally should have had a brace but the match-winner helped him atone for his earlier miss.

Vinicius Junior – 9

Real Madrid’s big player for the big stage, Vinicius Junior won the Man of the Match award with two assists to his name. As expected, he gave Manuel Akanji and Rico Lewis a tough time while being brilliant down the left.

Rodrygo Goes – 7.5

Very good display by Rodrygo Goes as he also did his job to perfect effect on the wing. He created some decent chances and helped Valverde at the back with a hard-working shift without the ball.

Kylian Mbappe – 8

Kylian Mbappe got Los Blancos back into the game with an equaliser at the hour mark. He looked in good touch throughout the game and like Bellingham, he also should have bagged another goal.

Substitutes:

Luka Modric – N/A

Though Luka Modric came with 10 minutes to play and saw Real Madrid score twice while on the pitch, he was not involved enough to make a fair judgement for.

Brahim Diaz – 7/10

Brahim Diaz made a solid impact off the bench with an equaliser for the visitors, and completed some decent runs with and without the ball as the Whites eventually got their winner very late on.

Fran Garcia – N/A

Fran Garcia came on the 90th minute and was on the pitch for very less time for a judgement to be made.