Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Man City: Squandered Chances Tell Familiar Story

Los Blancos have won just two of their last eight matches across all competitions.

Xabi Alonso is on the hot seat at Real Madrid. / Burak Akbulut/Anadolu/Getty Images

With his job on the line, Xabi Alonso could do nothing but watch as Real Madrid fell 2–1 to Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.

The Spanish giants started brightly at the Bernabéu, taking the lead through Rodrygo, who bagged his first goal since Mar. 4. Yet a late collapse in the first half allowed Nico O’Reilly and Erling Haaland to give the Cityzens control of the game.

Real Madrid wasted a few glorious chances in the second half and were once again jeered by their supporters once the final whistle sounded. The 15-time European champions have now dropped points in six of their last eight matches across all competitions.

Los Blancos sit seventh in the Champions League league phase standings, while Manchester City have jumped into fourth place. The bigger story of the night, though, remains with Alonso’s uncertain future on the touchline at the biggest club in the world.

Winter Alonso. Xabi Alonso Discovering Real Madrid Is the Impossible Job. dark. HENRY WINTER

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Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Man City (4-4-2)

Rodrygo stole the show for Real Madrid. / Guillermo Martinez/NurPhoto/Getty Images

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Thibaut Courtois—7.3: Would have liked to do better with City’s first goal, but recovered well. His defense once again did him little favors.

RB: Federico Valverde—6.7: Did his best out of position. Kept Jérémy Doku silent for the most part and made Toni Kroos proud with his ability to switch the field of play.

CB: Raúl Asencio—6.1: Impressed with his physicality and pitched in on the right flank when needed. Brought a much-needed edge to the game.

CB: Antonio Rüdiger—6.3: Supposed to be the leader of a makeshift defense, yet he made a needless error that gifted City a goal.

LB: Álvaro Carreras—6.6: Kickstarted his side’s best counter attacks with a few silky touches inside his own half. Redemptive performance after his woes against Celta Vigo.

RM: Rodrygo—8.1: A star is reborn. Bagged his first goal in eight months and created the most chances in yet another sensational performance against the Cityzens.

CM: Dani Ceballos—6.4: Mustered unimaginative passes and barked out orders before Alonso came to his senses and replaced him in the 67th minute.

CM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—6.3: Failed to have a true impact on the game and delivered some uncharacteristically poor service when called upon.

LM: Jude Bellingham—7.9: Set up Real Madrid’s only goal in a bright first 45 minutes. Poor finishing and frustrated tackles marred his second half.

ST: Gonzalo García—6.0: Had no role in his 58 minutes on the pitch. Had just 14 touches, none of which were memorable or impactful.

ST: Vinicius Junior—6.2: Got off to a lively start, but was completely out-staged by his fellow countryman. Let Rodrygo down with poor service on the counter attack and fumbled a few glorious chances.

Substitute	Rating (Out of 10)
Arda Güler (58’ for G. García)	6.7
Brahim Díaz (67’ for Ceballos)	6.3
Endrick (74’ for Asencio)	6.2

Subs not used: Andriy Lunin (GK), Fran González (GK), Fran García, Joan Martínez, Jorge Cestero, Víctor Valdepeñas, Franco Mastantuono, Kylian Mbappé.

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Man City (4-1-4-1)

Starting XI: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Matheus Nunes, Rúben Dias, Joško Gvardiol, Nico O’Reilly; Nico González; Bernardo Silva, Rayan Cherki, Phil Foden, Jérémy Doku; Erling Haaland.

Subs used: Omar Marmoush, Tijjani Reijnders, Savinho, Nathan Aké.

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Player of the Match: Nico O’Reilly (Man City)

Real Madrid Player of the Match: Rodrygo

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Real Madrid 1–2 Man City—How It Unfolded at the Bernabéu

Xabi Alonso (right) might have managed his last match for Real Madrid. / Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images

Question marks surrounded Alonso’s attack without Mbappé, who had previously scored nine of the team’s 12 goals in the Champions League this season. Yet Vinicius Jr got off to an electrifying start on Wednesday evening, quieting the doubt inside the Spanish capital.

The Brazil International burst forward just two minutes into the match, using his pace and dribbling ability to leave City’s defense reeling. Matheus Nunes made a panicked, clumsy tackle to take down Vinicius Jr, and the referee immediately sounded his whistle and pointed to the spot.

A quick VAR review, though, showed the contact was outside the box, letting the visitors off with a harsh warning they failed to heed. Real Madrid were all over the Cityzens, with Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo taking turns carving Guardiola’s nervy backline.

It felt like only a matter of time before the hosts put all the pieces together to find a breakthrough. Álvaro Carreras won back possession for his side and quickly found Jude Bellingham, who burst forward at pace. The midfielder picked out Rodrygo making a darting run down the right flank and the Brazilian emphatically broke his 32-game goal drought with a sublime finish from a narrow angle.

Rodrygo found the back of the net for the first time since Mar. 4. / Manu Reino/DeFodi Images/DeFodi/Getty Images

Los Blancos were only able to hold on to the lead for seven minutes, though, before they were caught out on a corner just past the half-hour mark. Thibaut Courtois parried away Joško Gvardiol’s initial header right into the path of a fast-reacting Nico O’Reilly. The 20-year-old made no mistake from a few yards out and buried his first-ever Champions League goal.

Guardiola’s men completed their first-half comeback in the 43rd minute from the penalty spot. VAR caught Antonio Rüdiger wrestling Haaland down inside the penalty area, and the official confirmed the decision. The Norwegian phenom converted from 12 yards out to put his side up 2–1 at halftime.

Does this fixture ever disappoint?

And the best thing is, it’s far from over. pic.twitter.com/P7GUlHJY2q

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The second half kicked off with end-to-end action that had the crowd jumping out of its seats every few seconds. Real Madrid had a golden opportunity on the counter attack to get back into the game in the 50th minute, but Bellingham fluffed a chipped finish that left the 83,000 fans at Bernabéu dismayed.

As the minutes ticked on, the frantic pace of the game settled. City were happy to defend their lead while the hosts’ energy dwindled. Whistles rang out, urging Alonso’s men to dig deep and put it all on the line for an equalizer.

Yet when his name was called, Vinicius Jr wilted under the bright lights. Rodrygo found the winger unmarked at the back post with a brilliant cross, but all his fellow countryman could do was send it into the sky.

Endrick mustered the last real chance of the night, but he saw his header denied by the woodwork. The squandered chances ended Real Madrid’s night with zero points, a feeling this side now knows all too well.

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Real Madrid vs. Man City Halftime Stats

Statistic	Real Madrid	Man City
Possession	44%	56%
Expected Goals (xG)	0.24	1.94
Total Shots	5	6
Shots on Target	1	5
Big Chances	0	3
Pass Accuracy	85%	91%
Fouls	6	9
Corners	2	1

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Real Madrid vs. Man City Full Time Stats

Statistic	Real Madrid	Man City
Possession	52%	48%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.44	2.58
Total Shots	16	12
Shots on Target	1	8
Big Chances	3	4
Pass Accuracy	85%	87%
Fouls	14	17
Corners	3	3

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