The home team were vulnerable throughout and Vinicius Junior could not save them despite his best efforts
Real Madrid's defence collapsed under the threat of Samuel Chukwueze as the Villarreal star scored twice to secure a 3-2 win at Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
Madrid took control of the game early on through a Marco Asensio-forced own goal from Pau Torres but the Yellow Submarine were never truly sunk as they put the home team under constant threat.
Carlo Ancelotti's back line was never comfortable, with Nacho Fernandez particularly vulnerable against the spectacular Chukwueze, while Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba at no point looked stable, either. The reckless defence even drew a dodgy moment from Thibaut Courtois, who left his goal wide open to come rushing out to stop an attack despite looking strong for most of the game.
With Karim Benzema almost completely absent and Rodrygo unable to have much of an effect, it was all up to Vinicius Junior to provide the spark that Madrid needed. Despite his excellent performance, he could not cancel out the mistakes his team-mates had made at the other end of the park.
GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from Santiago Bernabeu…
GettyGoalkeeper & Defence
Thibaut Courtois (6/10):
A safe pair of hands against dangerous opponents for the most part but had a dodgy moment when he came rushing out to give Villarreal an opportunity.
Lucas Vazquez (5/10):
Does not look up to the task at Real Madrid as he offered little in defence and attack, but still not as calamitous as his team-mates.
Antonio Rudiger (4/10):
Did not look good for the Villarreal goals. He was flat-footed and ball watching for the second. Too slow to react and his positioning was poor throughout.
David Alaba (5/10):
Stepped up too early to leave a huge space for Chukwueze to slip into the box and face the exposed Nacho for the equaliser. No surprise to see him replaced.
Nacho Fernandez (3/10):
Had a horrid time up against Samuel Chukwueze, making a goal from the Villarreal star imminent early on. He was demolished for both of the Villarreal star's goals. Simply not good enough defensively.
AdvertisementGettyMidfield
Marco Asensio (6/10):
Great run forward before lashing in to force the opening goal. Popped up all over the field in the first half and then moved to a new position in the second, where he forced a strong save.
Aurelien Tchouameni (7/10):
Played some gorgeous passes down the channels to send Vinicius and Nacho into dangerous positions. Was strong defensively and made his way into the Villarreal box on occasion, too.
Dani Ceballos (7/10):
He was hopeless on the ball in the first half but grew into the game in the second with some smart movement and decent passing.
Getty ImagesAttack
Rodrygo (5/10):
Just not at his best when the ball came to him despite being able to find space around Villarreal's box.
Karim Benzema (4/10):
Barely involved for most of the time he was on the field before being replaced by Federico Valverde after 58 minutes.
Vinicius Junior (8/10):
A constant threat from the beginning and should have had more goals. Made strong runs to unsettle Villarreal's defence, as shown by his dazzling goal early in the second half.
GettySubs & Manager
Eder Militao (6/10):
An improvement on Alaba as he stood up strong and got into sensible positions in the back line.
Federico Valverde (7/10):
Immediately a more threatening option than Benzema as he set up Vinicius for a golden chance.
Eduardo Camavinga (7/10):
Looked lively after coming on and played a role in Madrid being awarded a penalty before the referee changed his initial decision.
Luka Modric (6/10):
Fought until the end with a shot sailing wide and then digging in with tackles in midfield.
Carlo Ancelotti (6/10):
His team looked capable of getting the three points but collapsed against Villarreal. The defence was shaky throughout and it was hardly a surprise to see Villarreal capitalise on their mistakes.
