Lunin 8.5, Endrick 8.0 | Real Sociedad 0-1 Real Madrid: Player ratings | OneFootball

Real Madrid defeated Real Sociedad 1-0 in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final. A wonderful finish by Endrick, assisted by a terrific long ball by Jude Bellingham, was the difference between the two sides at the Reale Arena.

The Whites will be happy with the advantage they got considering the rotations they made to their usual starting eleven and have the chance to earn a berth in the final by avoiding defeat in the second leg.

Federico Valverde, the ever-present man for Real Madrid, was the most noteworthy absentee from the side as he was rested for the second game in a row.

Meanwhile, the team’s top goal-scorer Kylian Mbappe also did not board the plane to San Sebastian owing to a tooth extraction procedure. Arda Guler’s and Endrick’s inclusion in the starting eleven was a pleasant surprise, on the other hand, whereas Raul Asencio featured at right back.

With Los Blancos looking ahead to the La Liga game against Real Betis now, here is a look at how their players performed versus La Real.

Andriy Lunin – 8.5/10

Arguably the best player on the pitch, Lunin made good saves from Brais Mendes, Mikel Oyarzabal and Takefusa Kubo to secure a vital result for the team.

Raul Asencio – 6/10

Asencio looked promising going forward and was at his familiar best defensively. He played for only the first half, however, and it will be interesting to see more of him at right back.

Aurelien Tchouameni – 7.5/10

A solid display at the back from Tchouameni saw Oyarzabal’s involvement from the game almost nullify. He had barely any action in the box and barring one decent shot, he was kept under check.

Antonio Rudiger – 7/10

Rudiger also put in a commendable display. He conducted play nicely for the team when they played out from the back. He did not have much to do defensively, however, as Kubo was tracked well by Fran Garcia.

Fran Garcia – 7.5/10

Fran Garcia had Kubo’s number all game, besides allowing the Japanese some space very early in the game. He showed good attacking intent as well in what was an above par display at full back.

Eduardo Camavinga – 6.5/10

An uneventful evening for Camavinga saw him mainly play short passes here and there for the team in possession. Brais Mendez was static most of the game and therefore, the Madrid man did not have much work to do without the ball.

Dani Ceballos – 6.5/10

Interestingly, not many of Madrid’s offensive moves flowed through Ceballos, who played a deeper role than usual. Nonetheless, he was involved in 12 defensive actions and won eight duels against Luka Sucic.

Arda Guler – 6/10

Guler’s performance was not up to the mark as he had just one shot all game and created only one chance. He did not do much without the ball either in his first appearance after five matches.

Jude Bellingham – 8/10

Bellingham put in his usual, all-round shift in midfield. He gave Martin Zubimendi a tough time with and without the ball and assisted the team’s only goal superbly.

Vinicius Junior – 7/10

Vinicius, who captained Madrid for the first time ever, had one scoring chance which he should have dispatched and though he was on top against Jon Aramburu, the Brazilian played far too wide and did not have much action inside the box.

Endrick – 8/10

A typical striker’s job was done to good effect by Endrick, who scored the winning goal – his fourth in the Copa del Rey this season. He could have had another but a powerful shot was repelled by the crossbar.

Substitutes:

Lucas Vazquez – 7/10

Vazquez played the second half at right back. He did not do much offensively but recovered the ball a few times by imposing himself on Ander Barrenetxea before the Sociedad winger was withdrawn.

David Alaba – 6/10

He came on with 20 minutes to play. He had only three passes and seven touches to his name in that time.

Brahim Diaz, Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo Goes – N/A

The trio came on with very little time left as Madrid sat back to hold onto their lead.