Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Real Oviedo: Bellingham Ends Four-Month Drought in Style

Real Madrid got back to winning ways on Thursday evening, securing a 2–0 victory over Real Oviedo thanks to goals from Gonzalo García and Jude Bellingham.

A hostile reception from the sea of white shirts at the Bernabéu greeted Los Blancos after their poor Clásico defeat last time out. With nothing to play for other than pride, Álvaro Arbeloa’s men got to work against the team at the bottom of the La Liga standings.

Gonzalo found the breakthrough in the 44th minute, changing the mood inside the stadium on the brink of halftime. Bellingham then added his name to the scoresheet in the 80th minute, bagging his first goal since Jan. 20.

Real Madrid’s win lacked splendor, but was void of any embarrassment or controversy ... a rarity in the Spanish capital these days.

One Thing We Can’t Ignore

Kylian Mbappé made his first appearance since April 24 and was greeted by a chorus of boos and whistles every time he got near the ball, let alone touched it. The Frenchman had a wry smile on his face the entire time, but the crowd’s displeasure was impossible to ignore.

Vinicius Jr was whistled in the early stages of the match as well, but not nearly to the level of abuse Mbappé received. The reaction comes as no surprise, given that over 52 million people signed a petition calling for his Real Madrid exit.

Despite his whimpering end to the season, marred by injury and a locker room civil war, Mbappé still leads the Pichichi race with 24 goals in 28 league appearances. He would have loved to add to his total on Thursday, to both give himself more of a cushion against Mallorca’s Vedat Muriqi and silence the crowd, but he came up empty.

Mbappé stepped up to to a free kick from 30 yards out and hit the wall. He also failed to finish off a prime chance when he was through on goal—a chance that would have been waved off anyway because he once again failed to stay onside. His other two decent looks did not even hit the target.

The France international bagged the assist on Bellingham’s goal, though, a silver lining to an otherwise underwhelming cameo that will have done his cause with Madridistas no favors.

Real Madrid Player Ratings vs. Real Oviedo (4-4-2)

Gonzalo García found the back of the net for the first time in months. | Diego Souto/Getty Images

*Ratings Provided by FotMob*

GK: Thibaut Courtois—7.9: Had to be a little more active than he thought against the last-place team in the league, but no heroics were needed.

RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold—7.3: One of the few players making daring runs forward and playing inventive passes ... that his teammates failed to finish off. Came close to bagging his first goal in a white shirt, but the wait continues.

CB: Raúl Asencio—7.3: Showed his defensive prowess on several occasions that earned some well-deserved applause from the crowd. Used his physicality as a weapon.

CB: David Alaba—7.1: Far past his prime, but did his job in what is likely one of his final appearances for Real Madrid.

LB: Álvaro Carreras—6.9: Won the ball back that led to Gonzalo’s opener. Will earn some respect back for his tenacious press, but fell asleep in defense that should have led to Real Oviedo’s equalizer.

RM: Franco Mastantuono—7.8: A few half-chances were the highlight of his rare start. Active when he had the ball and showed off his dribbling, but without any reward.

CM: Eduardo Camavinga—7.6: Much of his defensive skillset was not needed against Real Oviedo, but he still helped his fellow countryman boss the midfield in the wake of his World Cup snub.

CM: Aurélien Tchouaméni—7.3: Missed a glorious chance in the 40th minute that had him looking up at the sky for answers. Easily commanded the middle of the park.

LM: Brahim Díaz—8.4: A live wire every time he touched the ball. Went on a few remarkable solo runs forward, but couldn’t put together the end product for himself. He made up for it by setting up Gonzalo instead.

ST: Gonzalo García—8.2: Bagged his first goal since Feb. 14 in a redemptive outing after his Clásico disappointment. Created the most chances on the night as well.

ST: Vinicius Junior—7.1: Looked rather disinterested for extended spells, and failed to capitalize on the few moments he got involved. Fell victim to Bernabéu boos yet again.

SUB: Jude Bellingham (64’ for Tchouaméni)—7.7: Hammered home a much-needed goal. Showed his raw ability.

SUB: Dani Carvajal (64’ for Alexander-Arnold)—6.4: Kept his head down.

SUB: Kylian Mbappé (69’ for Gonzalo)—7.0: Laid off the ball that Bellingham finished. Off target on his own chances.

SUB: César Palacios (64’ for Díaz)—6.2: Strung together a handful of tidy passes.

SUB: Daniel Yáñez (64’ for Mastanuono)—6.3: Only had nine touches.

Subs not used: Fran González (GK), Sergio Mestre (GK), Antonio Rüdiger, Fran García, Joan Martínez, Thiago Pitarch.

What the Ratings Tell Us

Trent Alexander-Arnold is still waiting to find the back of the net for Real Madrid. | Oscar J. Barroso/Europa Press/Getty Images

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s debut season has been one to forget. From injuries to shaky defensive performances, the England international struggled to live up to his own standards. Yet he is having a strong end to the season, oozing with creativity and passion that should catch Thomas Tuchel’s eye.
Remarkably, Gonzalo García is now the fourth-highest goalscorer for Real Madrid this season with seven goals across all competitions. Apart from his clinical finishing, perhaps the bigger talking point is that a player with so few minutes can rank fourth in scoring on a team full of superstars.
Franco Mastantuono got a rare start on Thursday, but he failed to make any sort of a statement. The Argentine couldn’t finish off the few chances that materialized onto his left foot, and it looks more and more likely that he could be in for a loan spell next season to propely develop his game.

The Numbers That Explain Real Madrid’s Comfortable Win

Real Madrid bossed the game, registering 65% possession and completing 570 passes compared to Real Oviedo’s 275, much in part thanks to Aurélien Tchouaméni and Eduardo Camavinga’s efforts in the middle of the park.
Los Blancos were active in the final third, sending 19 shots at goalkeeper Aarón Escandell, but only seven were on target, a common theme for the team over the last few months.
Arbeloa’s makeshift backline held the visitors to just one shot on target and kept a clean sheet despite Real Oviedo’s 1.03 xG.

Statistic	Real Madrid	Real Oviedo
Possession	65%	35%
Expected Goals (xG)	1.43	1.03
Total Shots	19	9
Shots on Target	7	1
Big Chances	2	2
Pass Accuracy	93%	84%
Fouls	7	14
Corners	4	5

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