By Tom Gott
A surprisingly strong Real Madrid side roared to a comfortable 5-0 win over Alaves on Tuesday evening.
Despite widespread belief that Carlo Ancelotti would name a weakened side, the boss went strong with his lineup and that was reflected in Madrid's electric attacking performance. Jude Bellingham opened the scoring, before goals from Federico Valverde, Arda Guler and a Vinicius Junior double sealed an emphatic victory.
How the game unfolded
Thibaut Courtois was scrambling inside the opening 90 seconds but managed to get down low twice to keep out Samu Omorodion's near-post efforts.
Madrid started to enjoy plenty of possession and fired themselves ahead ten minutes in through Bellingham, who appeared to mis-hit a volleyed cross and was left watching on as the ball flew awkwardly over Jesus Owono and into the back of the Alaves net. Intentional or not, they all count.
The lively Vinicius fizzed into the side netting and continued to cause problems down the left side, although he twice over-hit his runs and ended up running the ball off the pitch.
However, it was just a matter of time before the Brazilian adjusted his sights and grabbed his goal. With 27 minutes on the clock, Vinicius tapped home from close range after Eduardo Camavinga's low cross landed right at his feet.
Courtois had to remain active as Ianis Hagi's long-range strike needing tipping wide, but despite their nervy moments at the back, Madrid continued to impress going forwards and bagged a third through Valverde on the stroke of half-time with a lovely strike into the top corner.
Another strong hand from Courtois denied Hagi shortly before the hour mark, before Owono did well to stop Rodrygo from adding a fourth.
That fourth did eventually come courtesy of Vinicius, who crashed home after a lovely through-ball from Bellingham 20 minutes from time.
Guler added a fifth ten minutes later as Madrid romped to a comfortable victory.
Real Madrid player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Thibaut Courtois - 8/10 - Far busier than he will have expected to be but rose to every challenge laid down to him. Some big saves to keep Madrid in control.
RB: Dani Carvajal - 7/10 - Collected long ball after long ball from Kroos to help Madrid advance up the field. Always available for his teammates.
CB: Eder Militao - 6/10 - Didn't always look comfortable at the back but is clearly still working his way back to full fitness.
CB: Nacho Fernandez - 6/10 - Tried to limit the space available to Alaves but was left chasing shadows on occasion.
LB: Ferland Mendy - 6/10 - Dovetailed fairly well with Bellingham and Vinicius down the left side of the pitch without ever really needing to step up to the next gear.
DM: Toni Kroos - 8/10 - Dictated play with a series of sensational passes, including a glorious ball for Bellingham's opening goal.
DM: Eduardo Camavinga - 8/10 - Roared around with sensational energy which seemed to allow him to cover every blade of grass. Great in the tackle and even popped up with an assist.
RM: Federico Valverde - 7/10 - Typical energy down the right helped Madrid keep pushing forward. Lashed his goal into the top corner with real power.
AM: Jude Bellingham - 9/10 - May not have meant his goal but definitely meant his two assists. A really impactful performance with his family watching in the stands.
LM: Vinicius Junior - 9/10 - A relentless force down the left wing. Always tried to get in behind and deserved his goals.
ST: Rodrygo - 6/10 - Some dangerous moments in possession but was usually playing third-fiddle to Vinicius and Bellingham.
Substitutes
SUB: Arda Guler (62' for Camavinga) - 7/10
SUB: Antonio Rudiger (72' for Militao) - 6/10
SUB: Dani Ceballos (72' for Kroos) - 6/10
Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Lucas Vazquez, Fran Garcia, Luka Modric, Mario Martin, Joselu, Brahim Diaz
Manager
Carlo Ancelotti - 6/10 - Madrid were definitely a little shaky at the back and had to rely on the individual quality of their forwards to make this look as easy at is was, although Ancelotti's setup did play a part.
Player of the match - Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid)
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This article was originally published on 90min.com as Real Madrid 5-0 Alaves: Player ratings as Bellingham returns to best form in emphatic win.
