Champions League Real Madrid vs Manchester City Player Ratings
Real Madrid pulled off a historic comeback against Manchester City on Wednesday to win 3-1 on the night, 6-5 on aggregate, and advance to the Champions League Final on May 28 against Liverpool. Here’s how each of the individual players performed throughout this incredible game.
It was the home team who was on the back foot but overturned the result after 180 minutes of football played. Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City took the lead at the Beunbau and were well on their way to their second Champions League Final in back-to-back campaigns.
However, Benzema and co. were not about to let that happen on home soil, putting in an extra shift and entertaining the world with one of the most memorable final minutes of European football.
Riyad Mahrez opened the scoring for Manchester City and scored the only goal for them on the night; this was late in the 73rd minute of the clash. It appeared to be all over as we reached the 90th minute, and that’s when the giant that is Los Blancos came to life and turned the fixture on its head.
Two goals scored by Rodrygo almost one minute apart from each other in the embers of the game saw the tie go into extra time. Madrid, with all the momentum with them, sealed City’s Champions League fate in the 95th minute with a penalty scored by the man leading the line, Karim Benzema.
Let’s dive into each Manchester City and Real Madrid player’s respective match rating and see how well they contributed to their team on the night of glorious Champions League football.
Champions League: Real Madrid 3-1 Manchester City Player Rating
Manchester City:
Ederson: 5
The goalkeeper had a fairly difficult night, making two routine saves and conceding three goals. In the first goal, he could have done arguably a bit better, as Ederson was caught somewhat out of position while the ball was played in and he fell to his knees. In the second goal, Ederson merely watched on as Rodrigo’s header soared past him, and on the penalty, he was sent in the wrong direction.
Cancelo: 6
It was a fairly average game for the Portuguese fullback, as he contributed to some of the attacking play, but could have been a bit more efficient on the defensive end.
Laporte: 6
It was a rough night for the City pair of centre backs, but Laporte had the stronger game compared to Dias. This is because, although there were some shaky defensive moments, he overall held his ground somewhat well.
Dias: 3
It was certainly a night to forget for Ruben Dias. The centre back was caught flat-footed on the opening goal for Rodri which sparked the comeback. However, Dias’ most costly error was when he mistimed his slide on Karim Benzema inside the penalty area; it was frankly quite a needless challenge to give away the penalty, which proved to be the game-winner that sent Real Madrid through to the finals.
Walker: 7
The right-back had a solid game, with a couple of strong moments of physicality up against Vinicius Jr., as well as some crucial and well-timed challenges to stop promising attacks. However, he would have to leave the game in the 72nd minute having picked up a bit of an injury.
De Bruyne: 7
It was a solid game for the complete midfielder, as he played in the manner one would expect him to play, by covering areas all over the pitch. However, Man City surely missed his presence after he was controversially brought off early.
Rodri. 6
Overall, he had a good game in his role as more of a holding midfielder. Rodri did a good job to hold his ground, making efficient passes, and controlling the tempo of the game to City’s liking but may have been able to contribute a little more overall.
Silva: 7
The midfielder tried a few shots throughout that weren’t all that far away from ending up in the back of the net. He also worked to facilitate Mahrez’s goal and worked to create multiple attacking chances for City.
Mahrez. 8
The Algerian proved to be lethal in the attack for City, doing well to net their only goal of the night. When he was brought off just before Madrid began their comeback, his attacking presence was thoroughly missed in extra time, as City were searching for a goal.
Jesus: 5
Despite a strong set of performances over the last few weeks, Jesus did not contribute much to City’s attack on the night.
Foden: 6
Although he troubled Courtois and the Madrid defence on a few occasions, Foden could have been more clinical, especially on the free-kick taken quickly which he very well could have, maybe should have, put into the back of the net.
Substitutions:
Zinchenko: 7
The Ukrainian injected a fair bit of pace, aggressiveness, and life into the game immediately after he was brought on.
Gundogan: 5
The problem with bringing on Gundogan is that he is an ageing player who serves as a defensive midfielder. Bringing him on to try and hold onto the lead was a decent idea, but once Madrid levelled it, Gundogan struggled to find his place.
Grealish: 6
Somewhat similar to Foden, while Grealish did trouble the Madrid defence, there would be a few occasions where he could have been a bit more clinical in attack.
Fernandinho: 6
Also, a defensive-minded midfielder who is getting quite old. He played solid defensively but struggled to contribute efficiently to the attack once City switched from defence into attack.
Sterling: 5
The Englishman his difficulties in finding his place in the attack, and ultimately did not come near the same threat level that Mahrez posed to the Madrid defence.
Clarence Seedorf: “Manchester City, like PSG, lack a mentality. Real Madrid's mentality isn't something created in a year or two, or even ten. It's about coming to a club where you know you're a part of something much greater than yourself." pic.twitter.com/IH53Pyw7ha
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) May 5, 2022
Real Madrid:
Courtois: 7
The keeper got caught diving a little early to the wrong side on Mahrez’s goal, but overall he made a handful of quality saves that helped to keep Madrid in the tie.
Carvajal: 7
The right-back played a solid role defensively against the City attack, as did the rest of the Madrid backline.
Militao: 7
Militao played aggressively but efficiently throughout the night in his position at centreback.
Fernandez. 7
He played a solid defensive game, and also played quality balls forward to help start various attacks.
Mendy. 7
The left back was able to use his pace and skills to hold up quite well overall, despite getting beat by Mahrez on one or two occasions.
Modric. 7
The Croatian centre mid played a solid game, facilitating quality passes and controlling the tempo of the game efficiently.
Casemiro. 6
Playing aggressively, he was lucky not to end up in the book on a couple of occasions but still played a solid game, specifically on the defensive side of things.
Kroos. 7
He played a solid position in the midfield, playing as a more complete midfielder, who managed to cover a fairly solid margin of the pitch.
Valverde. 7
While he may not have had any moments that got his name remembered fondly, Valverde subtly played a solid game in the attacking half.
Vinucius Jr: 7
Using his electric pace and dribbling abilities, Vinucius Jr. was able to create multiple good opportunities for Real Madrid in the attack.
Benzema: 9
The striker played a terrific ball into Rodrygo for the opening goal and did very well to win and then convert the game-winning penalty in extra time. He continues to make his case for the Ballon D’Or with strong UCL performances.
Substitutions:
Vallejo and Vasquez:
Both were brought on very late in extra time and did not register enough playing time to receive a proper rating.
Ceballos: 7
The substitute fulfilled the role that he was brought on for: control the game and assure Real Madrid remains solid and secure at the back.
Asensio: 8
The attacking midfielder worked to create excellent attacking chances for Madrid, including sending in an excellent cross which lead to Rodrygo’s game-tying goal to send it to extra-time.
Camavinga. 6
The substitute contributed a bit to the attack but failed to make any real significant impact when he was brought on.
Rodrygo. 10
With two heroic goals in the span of just minutes to send the game into extra-time against all odds, Rodrygo has joined the likes of Gotze and Eder as one of the greatest super-subs in recent memory.