Ranking Real Madrid's 5 best players in 5-0 win against Shakhtar Donetsk | UEFA Champions League 2021-22
13-time UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid registered an emphatic 5-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in their third Group D fixture on Tuesday night. Carlo Ancelotti’s men were handed a shock 2-1 defeat by Sheriff Tiraspol in their last European outing and needed a fitting reply to get their Champions League campaign back on track.
An own goal by Sergey Krivstov gave Real Madrid the lead before the half-time whistle. Los Blancos came out all guns blazing in the second half and tripled their advantage inside the next 11 minutes, thanks to a Vinicius Jr brace. Rodrygo was next to get on the scoresheet before Karim Benzema joined the party to cap off a five-star performance away from home.
Most of Real Madrid's players were impressive in their final game before Sunday’s El Clasico, but some stars shone brighter than others.
Here are the top five performers in Real Madrid’s commanding 5-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the UEFA Champions League.
#5 Toni Kroos
Since joining the club in 2014, Toni Kroos has been one of the most crucial cogs of Real Madrid’s machine. However, with age and niggling injuries catching up with him, the German has had to sit out quite a few matches this season. Kroos finally looked at home on Tuesday, producing the efficient football he is famous for.
The German sat on the left side of midfield and dictated the tempo of the play. He easily defused Shakhtar’s inconsistent press and ran the show alongside Luka Modric. Kroos also completed two tackles in the match, highlighting his knack for sniffing out danger.
I love Kroos so much man https://t.co/zw5EVrSniz
Kroos created two chances in the UEFA Champions League encounter against Shakhtar and managed to get both of his shots on target. It was a confidence-boosting performance from the German in the UEFA Champions League, which should allow him to soar higher in the upcoming matches.
#4 Luka Modric
Similar to his midfield partner Toni Kroos, Luka Modric also took it up a notch in the UEFA Champions League outing against Shakhtar Donetsk. The Croatian midfielder has been battling exhaustion since the start of the season.
With Real Madrid’s weekend clash against Athletic Bilbao postponed, Modric could get some shuteye, which showed on the pitch on Tuesday.
Modric will be 37 in 20 day and still making these passes look easy! World Class Stuff! https://t.co/fnNoyhotrl
Not only did Modric dominate the Shakhtar midfielders, but he was a lot more effective further up the pitch. He could not get on the scoresheet himself but provided an inch-perfect assist to set up Vinicius Jr’s opener.
Modric was taken off in favor of Eduardo Camavinga with a quarter of an hour still to play, with the Croatian expected to star in Sunday’s blockbuster clash against Barcelona.