Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Bayern Munich: Los Blancos Stare Down Trophyless Season

It was a valiant effort from Real Madrid, but in the end, they fell 4–3 to Bayern Munich in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals on Wednesday night, ending their pursuit of a 16th European title.

Los Blancos came in to the match at the Allianz Arena down 2–1 after a chaotic first leg in the Spanish capital. They got off to a dream start after Manuel Neuer gifted Arda Güler the game’s opener inside of 60 seconds, but what followed was a dizzying first half.

Aleksandar Pavlović responded just five minutes later, only to be outdone by Güler again, who buried a free kick to bring the tie to 3–3. Harry Kane was the next to find the back of the net, followed by Kylian Mbappé.

The second half lacked the goalscoring of the first, and it took Eduardo Camavinga’s senseless red card to blow the game open. Luis Díaz rifled a strike from the edge of the box to seal the tie, before Michael Olise added insult to injury to eliminate Real Madrid 6–4 on aggregate.

Heroes and Villains

Heroes

Arda Güler came into the match having never scored in the Champions League and had a brace to his name within 29 minutes. The midfielder showed off his devastating left foot, curling home a stunning strike from distance and then a free kick from 30 yards out. The performance was worthy of a win for Real Madrid, but it wound up being nothing more than a consolation prize.

Ferland Mendy had played just 11 minutes in the last month before getting the nod on Wednesday night, and showed no signs of the injuries that have plagued him so often over the last two years. The Frenchman played the entire 90 minutes, locking down Michael Olise for nearly the entire game until Real Madrid were left down a man.

Villains

Eduardo Camavinga has had a rough season and his time in a white shirt just reached rocked bottom. The midfielder came on as a substitute and picked up two foolish yellow cards—the second for running away with the ball—and all but denied his team of a place in the semifinals. It’s hard to imagine the Frenchman has a place in the team next season.

It’s a tale as old as time. Trent Alexander-Arnold completely fell asleep inside his own box in the 38th minute, almost as if he thought Kane was playing alongside him for England. The fullback’s shocking positioning and lack of awareness marking the best No. 9 in the world keeps the critics pounding at his door—and with good reason.

Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Bayern Munich (4-4-2)

Kylian Mbappé scored his 15th goal of the Champions League season. | Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto/Getty Images

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Andriy Lunin—5.4: Lost his bearings when it mattered most. Poorly misjudged Joshua Kimmich’s delivery from the corner flag to gift Bayern an equalizer. Should have done better on Díaz’s goal.

RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold—6.3: Forgot where he was inside his own 18-yard-box. Gave Kane, the most dangerous goalscorer in the world, acres of space to finish off a clinical finish in the 38th minute. Delivered his fare share of delicious balls, but at what cost?

CB: Éder Militão—5.9: Uncharacteristically nervy at times. Dove into last-ditch tackles and took a yellow card just to mop up his own mistakes. Recovered well, but not well enough.

CB: Antonio Rüdiger—5.7: Played with his trademarked physicality that unsettled Bayern. Teetered on the edge at times, but kept things (mostly) in check.

LB: Ferland Mendy—5.0: Completely neutralized Michael Olise when the team had 11 players. Admirable effort from a player likely not even 100% fit.

RM: Brahim Díaz—6.5: Bright in flashes. Helped Alexander-Arnold defend and set up one glorious chance for Vinicius Jr. Struggled to consistently get involved going forward.

CM: Jude Bellingham—7.7: Rolled up his sleeves and got to work. Vigorously tracked back, threw his body down to block shots and never shied away from making a tackle.

CM: Federico Valverde—7.0: Lost a bit of his effectiveness going forward without Aurélien Tchouaméni to anchor the midfield. Not as tidy in possession as we’re used to seeing.

LM: Arda Güler—7.7: A performance for the history books. Curled home his first-ever Champions League goal to get his side off to an extraordinary start and then bent a free kick into the top corner to bag a brace.

ST: Kylian Mbappé—8.1: His speed was no match for Bayern’s backline, but he once again lacked the end product far too often. Finally capitalized just before halftime to score the biggest goal of his Real Madrid career.

ST: Vinicius Junior—6.9: Jogged after Dayot Upamecano in the buildup to Bayern’s second goal without any intent to close him down. Made up for it soon after by setting up Mbappé for his side’s third goal. Denied a goal of his own by the woodwork.

SUB: Eduardo Camavinga (61’ for Díaz)—5.3: Sent off 25 minutes after he came on. Let down his team.

SUB: Thiago Pitarch (90’ for Alexander-Arnold)—N/A

SUB: Franco Mastantuono (90’ for Güler)—N/A

Subs not used: Fran González (GK), Javier Navarro (GK), Álvaro Carreras, Dani Carvajal, David Alaba, Dean Huijsen, Fran García, Dani Ceballos, Gonzalo García.

What the Ratings Tell Us

Jude Bellingham put it all on the line for Real Madrid. | Christina Pahnke/sampics/Getty Images

Jude Bellingham might be at his most dangerous as a No. 10 or a false nine, but the England international does not get nearly enough credit for his defensive contributions and relentless work rate when he plays in a deeper role. In just his second start since a long-term injury, he never stopped running, covered every blade of grass and selflessly put the team above his own preferred style of play.
Andriy Lunin rose to prominence for his Champions League heroics in 2023–24, but he looked a shell of the goalkeeper from that storied run. The Ukrainian was nervy every time the ball was in the air, mistiming his interventions and flubbing his positioning. Thibaut Courtois was sorely missed.
So often without chemistry up top, Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Jr did well to create chance after chance for one another. Except they both took turns squandering said chances, leaving their teammates with their heads in their hands. Neither can call themselves the face of Real Madrid with such disappointing finishing.

The Numbers That Explain Real Madrid’s Valiant Defeat

Bayern only mustered an 2.09 xG and ended the night with just two big chances. Yet they got on the scoresheet four times—with three of those goals coming from Real Madrid’s self-inflicted wounds.
For all their scoring woes this season, Real Madrid found the back of the net three times, pouncing on the counterattack. They looked more than content with only 31% possession.
The Spanish giants were sloppy with the ball, only registering a 78% passing accuracy. A new midfield signing is at the top of their priorities this summer.

Statistic	Bayern Munich	Real Madrid
Possession	69%	31%
Expected Goals (xG)	2.09	2.27
Total Shots	21	12
Shots on Target	9	5
Big Chances	2	3
Pass Accuracy	88%	78%
Fouls	10	12
Corners	9	2

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