UEFA Champions League 2016/17: Real Madrid 3-1 Napoli, Player Ratings
A spirited Napoli team eventually caved in against a dominant Real Madrid side in the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg, as the home team ran away comfortable winners. A brilliant goal by Lorenzo Insigne was not enough for the visitors as Zidane's men scored three past Jose Reina to take the all-important lead heading into Italy for the next leg of this tie.
Karim Benzema, Casemiro and Toni Kroos all scored as the hosts impressed at the Bernabeu.
Here are the player ratings for this high-octane game:
Real Madrid
Keylor Navas: 5.5/10
The Real Madrid goalkeeper had to make only one save but it was his error in positioning that led to Insigne’s long range goal. Navas could have easily prevented the goal and he will feel relieved that his attackers bailed him out by scoring three goals.
Daniel Carvajal: 7.5/10
The right-back had a very good game, providing a brilliant assist for Benzema. Carvajal also won two tackles in important areas of the field.
Rafael Varane: 7/10
Varane passed the ball well whenever he got it and won a couple of tackles at the back. He did not have much to do otherwise as it was a quite uneventful game for the young centre-back.
Sergio Ramos: 6/10
Madrid’s captain got booked for a poor challenge and failed to win a single tackle in the game and was dispossessed only once. Ramos was subbed off for Pepe in the last fifteen minutes.
Marcelo: 6.5/10
Marcelo was his usual self, bombarding forward at almost every opportunity and had a pass accuracy of 89%. He could have gone on the scoresheet in the last minutes of the game but just missed.
Toni Kroos: 8/10
A brilliant outing for the German as he scored Madrid’s second goal with an inch-perfect shot and was a dominating presence in the middle of the park. Kroos completed 93% of his passes and kept the game flowing.
Luka Modric: 7/10
Modric completed over 90% of his passes but failed to win the ball back even once. The Croatian midfielder received a yellow card and could have done better at times.
Casemiro: 8.5/10
The Man of the Match, Casemiro was a nightmare for Napoli; he won three tackles, completed 90% of his passes and scored one of the goals of the season that might just put Real Madrid in the next round. A brilliant display by the Brazilian international.
James Rodriguez: 7/10
Rodriguez was not as involved in the attack as Benzema and Ronaldo, but did well when he had the ball and won one tackle in the final third. An above average game for the 25-year-old.
Cristiano Ronaldo: 8.5/10
The Portuguese captain had an amazing night as his tenacity led to Madrid’s second goal and his runs from out wide terrorised the Napoli defence. Even though he himself did not score, Ronaldo was his team’s most influential forward and will gain confidence from this display.
Karim Benzema: 7.5/10
Benzema scored the equaliser for Madrid but also missed a couple of easy chances to put his team ahead. The French international’s goal means that he has 51 goals in the Champions League – more than any other French international in history. A remarkable feat indeed.
Substitutions
Pepe: 6/10
The defender played for only about 20 odd minutes and was on the pitch just to see off the game.
Lucas Vasquez: N/A
Was on the pitch for too little time to have any significant impact.
Alvaro Morata: N/A
Was on the pitch for too little time to have any significant impact.
Napoli
Jose Reina: 6/10
The former Liverpool man saved three shots and was quick off his line a couple of times to thwart Madrid's attacks. But he could do little about the three goals that went past him.
Faouzi Ghoulam: 6.5/10
The 26-year-old had a good game as he won three aerial duels and one tackle, completing 85% of his passes. He could have done better against the Madrid forwards a couple of times but mostly was solid.
Kalidou Koulibaly: 5.5/10
Koulibaly couldn’t do much about Benzema’s towering header and despite winning four duels overall, he got dispossessed a couple of times and was average on the ball.
Raul Albiol: 7/10
The former Real Madrid man had a great game on his return to the Bernabeu as he won five tackles, three aerial duels and completed 87% of his passes. He was one of the best players on the pitch in a Napoli shirt.
Elseid Hysaj: 6/10
Hysaj won the ball twice and had a pass accuracy of over 85% but was outdone by the Madrid attack. Not the best of nights for the defender.
Marek Hamsik: 6/10
Napoli’s influential leader, Hamsik had an off game and could not find the right passes or make the right runs for the most part. He also lost the ball once and the 29-year-old will be hoping to better his performance come the second leg.
Amadou Diawara: 6.5/10
The 19-year-old was easily Napoli’s best midfielder as he won the ball three times and completed one dribble in the final third. Diawara also made some good runs off the ball.
Piotr Zielinski: 5.5/10
Zielinski got booked for a bad tackle and could not impact the game at all with his passing. He was eventually subbed off in the 75th minute.
Jose Callejon: 5.5/10
The former Real Madrid winger lost the ball twice and failed to have a significant impact on the game after Madrid equalised. Callejon looked out of ideas and had a game to forget.
Lorenzo Insigne: 7.5/10
Perhaps Napoli’s best player, Insigne took advantage of Navas being off his line and gave his team the lead with a brilliant goal in the first half. He also won three tackles and passed the ball well.
Dries Mertens: 6/10
Mertens was isolated upfront a lot and failed to have the impact that his teammate Insigne did. He took three shots but none of them were threatening. He completed just over 80% of his passes and got booked late in the game. An average game for the 29-year-old.
Substitutions
Allan: 6/10
Allan was on the pitch for only fifteen minutes, completed one dribble and lost the ball once as he failed to be the impact sub his manager needed.
Arkadiusz Milik: N/A
Played for only seven minutes and could not do anything significant.