Real Madrid 2-0 Borussia Monchengladbach: Los Blancos player ratings as Karim Benzema's double sends his side to the Round of 16 | UEFA Champions League 2020-21
Real Madrid have qualified for the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League after seeing off Borussia Monchengladbach 2-0 at the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium on Wednesday.
Karim Benzema scored twice in the first half - both headers - as Los Blancos finished at the top of Group B to avoid Europa League humiliation.
Borussia Monchengladbach, who've been the most prolific side in the group, were uncharacteristically quiet in the match, struggling to create many opportunities.
They mustered just one shot on target all night and didn't really test the home side, besides one good effort from Marcus Thuram early on.
Nevertheless, Marco Rose's men progress to the last-16 on the coattails of the Spanish champions as the other match in the group between Inter Milan and Shakhtar Donetsk ended in a goalless draw.
Let us now look at the Real Madrid player ratings from the fixture:
Real Madrid player ratings against Borussia Monchengladbach
Thibaut Courtois - 7.5/10
Thibaut Courtois made one good save early on to deny Marcus Thuram from equalising but wasn't tested thereafter. He'll be relieved to have picked up another clean sheet in Europe.
Lucas Vazquez - 8/10
Lucas Vazquez made a colossal impact on the game as he assisted Karim Benzema for the opener and hit the woodwork twice. He finished the match with five key passes, the joint-most with Benzema and Toni Kroos.
Raphael Varane - 7/10
Raphael Varane's positioning early on was questionable, leading to a counter-attacking move from the visitors. However, he redeemed himself thereafter, winning three tackles, clearances, and aerial duels each.
Sergio Ramos - 8/10
Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos was back in the side, and his return coincided with Los Blancos keeping a clean sheet. Coincidence? We think not. The Spaniard kept everything organized at the back and made sure Gladbach had no chance of coming back into the match.
Ferland Mendy - 7/10
Ferland Mendy linked up well with Vinicius in the attack and completed four tackles - the most by any player during the match.
Luka Modric - 7.5/10
Luka Modric's work-rate continued to be exemplary as he put in another scintillating performance for Real Madrid. He was crucial to dictating the flow of the match and worked hard to win back possession.
Casemiro - 7/10
This was not the best night for Casemiro but he was still crucial in winning back possession and keeping the ball moving.
Toni Kroos - 7.5/10
Toni Kroos was dynamic for Real Madrid and helped control the match. He registered 97% pass success and made five key passes.
Rodrygo - 7.5/10
The 19-year-old was explosive up front, providing a nice assist for Benzema by expertly winning back possession before drawing an excellent save from Yannick Sommer.
Karim Benzema - 8/10
Cometh the hour, cometh Benzema! The Real Madrid No.9 once again stepped up when his side needed the goods, scoring two beautiful headers inside the first half hour to leave Gladbach with a mountain to climb. He attempted seven shots in total, four more than any other player.
Vinicius Junior - 7/10
Vinicius' end-product was lacking once again. He had a great chance in the second half to score but took too long to line up a shot. He was dispossessed five times in the match, more than any other player.
Substitutes
Marco Asensio - 6/10
Marco Asensio came on in the 74th minute as a part of a double change but didn't bring much to the table for Real Madrid.
Sergio Arribas - 6/10
A Champions League debut for the 19-year old, who, although didn't have much time to mark the occasion, completed almost all his passes.