A stunning 4–2 defeat to Benfica saw Real Madrid drop to ninth in the Champions League league phase standings, forcing Álvaro Arbeloa’s men to compete in the knockout phase playoffs.
Los Blancos were off the pace of the game from the opening whistle, looking very much like the floundering, disorganized team they were under Xabi Alonso. Kylian Mbappé continued his blistering form, bagging a brace to try and will his team to a positive result, but it was no use.
Benfica were by far the better team on the night, putting three goals past Real Madrid, who finished the game with nine players, before goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin buried a header in the final moment to send José Mourinho’s men through to the knockout phase playoffs.
The 15-time European champions, meanwhile, now must play two unexpected games in February after what can only be described as another dismal performance in a must-win game.
Heroes and Villains
Hero
It’s hard to call anyone a hero after such a manic performance from Real Madrid, but Kylian Mbappé fits the role better than any other player in white. The France International bagged a brace, setting the record for the most goals scored in the Champions League group stage/league phase.
Mbappé is up to 36 goals across all competitions for Los Blancos, and 13 have come in the Champions League. The 27-year-old is in the form of his life, but he has absolutely no help in front of goal from his teammates. As the seconds ticked on in Lisbon, it became very clear the team could only salvage a result if he bagged a hat trick—not exactly a sustainable way to win matches.
Villain
Aurélien Tchouaméni missed out at the weekend due to suspension and returned to anchor the team’s midfield on Wednesday night, yet the only thing he did was weigh Real Madrid down. The Frenchman was off the pace of the game from the beginning, entering the referee’s book just three minutes into the clash.
His undisciplined performance got even worse as the first half dragged on, and a major mistake felt like it had been coming when he tugged Nicolás Otamendi down by the shirt in the box. The blunder gifted Benfica a penalty on the brink of stoppage time and Tchouaméni only lasted 10 minutes after the restart before getting replaced.
Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Benfica (4-1-2-3)
GK: Thibaut Courtois—5,4: Had it not been for the Belgian, Benfica would have scored six. Made a save so good in the first half that Mourinho could only smile and shake his head, but was beaten at his near post on the match-winner.
RB: Federico Valverde—7.1: Everyone always jokes that Valverde can play any position on the pitch, and he briefly found himself between the posts in the first half, making a goal-saving block in front of a gaping net.
CB: Raúl Asencio—6.1: A night of highs and lows. Provided the brilliant ball to find Mbappé, but then slipped in transition in the build-up to Benfica’s opening goal. Committed a horrible tackle in the final stages and was sent off.
CB: Dean Huijsen—7.1: Did not make any egregious errors like his fellow defenders, but also unworthy of much praise considering Benfica scored three while he was on the pitch.
LB: Álvaro Carreras—6.8: Failed to ever truly settle in against his old club. Spent most of his time chasing after 19-year-old Gianluca Prestianni down the left-hand side of the pitch.
DM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—6.3: Picking up a yellow card inside of three minutes was an indicator of how his night would unfold. Sloppy in defense and committed the foul that led to Benfica’s penalty. Hooked in the 55th minute.
AM: Arda Güler—8.2: Had license to roam and did plenty with it, creating the most chances in the match for Real Madrid. Set up Mbappé’s second to give the team some life.
AM: Jude Bellingham—6.9: Could not heed his manager’s orders to stop running so much. Spent so much time tracking back and cleaning up the mistakes of his teammates in the midfield that he could not effectively pull the strings of Real Madrid’s attack.
RW: Franco Mastantuono—5.5: Out of his depth. Lost the most duels in the match and did virtually nothing to contribute to the attack. Lucky his sloppy giveaway after the restart didn’t lead to a goal.
ST: Kylian Mbappé—8.9: Once again the only attacker who turned up. His brace wasn’t enough to bail his team out this time, though.
LW: Vinicius Junior—7.1: The stats might tell a different story, but he would have been whistled out of the Bernabéu. Creating one chance and only mustering one shot on target is simply not enough from a player of his caliber.
SUB: Eduardo Camavinga (55’ for Tchouaméni)—6.6: Brought some much-needed security in front of the backline.
SUB: Rodrygo (55’ for Mastantuono)—5.8: Looked lively up top before he was needlessly sent off for dissent.
SUB: David Alaba (78’ for Huijsen)—6.3: Impactful in the air.
SUB: Jorge Cestero (79’ for Carreras)—6.2: Tidy in possession, but not on the pitch long enough to make an impact.
SUB: Brahim Díaz (79’ for Güler)—6.1: Arguably should have never been brought on in place of Güler.
Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Fran González (GK), Dani Carvajal, Diego Aguado, Fran García, Dani Ceballos, Gonzalo García.
What the Ratings Tell Us
- There’s still little help to shoulder the goalscoring load weighing down Kylian Mbappé. The Frenchman once again looked like the only player capable of scoring, while the likes of Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham squandered chances they easily should have buried.
- Question marks still surround Arda Güler’s place in the XI. The Turkish youngster is a sensational playmaker, but he simply cannot dictate the flow of play like his team needs. Los Blancos had no foothold on the game because there is not a midfielder in white capable of orchestrating the team or setting the tempo.
- Franco Mastantuono has likely seen his time in Arbeloa’s lineup come to an end. The Argentine was spectacularly poor in his 55 minutes on the pitch, and could only look on from the bench as his team looked wildly better with the addition of Rodrygo, who will have to answer for his senseless red card.
- The team might be playing more freely under Álvaro Arbeloa, but it still has glaring deficiencies all over the pitch. The new boss will be counting down the days until Trent Alexander-Arnold and Antonio Rüdiger return from injury to shore-up his backline.
The Numbers That Explain Real Madrid’s Champions League Blunder
- Despite dominating 67% possession, Real Madrid once again were static in the build-up, holding the ball without any real intent. Once Benfica took the lead, they deployed a disciplined low block that their opponents could not break down.
- Real Madrid allowed Benfica, a team with just six goals in their previous seven league phase matches, to send 22 shots the way of Courtois and score four goals. The team’s defense was completely outclassed.
- In a team with Mbappé, Vinicius Jr and Bellingham, Los Blancos managed just three big chances, and two were the former’s goals. There was a glaring lack of creativity from the visitors in Lisbon.
| Statistic | Benfica | Real Madrid |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 33% | 67% |
| Expected Goals (xG) | 2.99 | 1.50 |
| Total Shots | 22 | 16 |
| Shots on Target | 12 | 6 |
| Big Chances | 8 | 3 |
| Pass Accuracy | 77% | 90% |
| Fouls | 11 | 15 |
| Corners | 6 | 5 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Benfica: Mourinho Comes Back to Haunt Los Blancos.
