Real Madrid 3–2 Leganes Player Ratings: Los Blancos Turn Things Around and Keep Their Title Race Alive

Real Madrid turned the scoreline in style as a brace from Kylian Mbappe and a goal from Jude Bellingham helped Los Blancos win 3-2 over Leganes. It was a heartbreaking defeat for the visitors, who scored twice thanks to goals from Diego Garcia and Daniel Raba. This result sees Madrid keep pace with their arch-rivals Barcelona in the title race, while Leganes stay 18th. They are close to getting relegated from the league.

Ancelotti made some heavy rotations following the international break, with the players who travelled to South America getting additional rest. Andrey Lunin also started tonight as Courtois was nursing an injury. Leganes, on the other hand, made just two changes to their side.

Real Madrid started the game dominating possession, patiently looking for a way to break down Leganes’ deep defence. Madrid tried a few chances before Oscar Rodriguez tripped Arda Guler inside the box on the half-hour mark, giving Madrid a penalty and a golden chance to take the lead.

Mbappe converted his penalty with an audacious panenka into the net, but the joy was short-lived as Leganes quickly fired back within just one minute as Lucas Vazquez failed to make a decent clearance off Rossier’s cross, instead letting Diego Garcia tap the ball into the net from close range.

Five minutes later, Brahim saw an excellent shot blocked at the last minute as Madrid looked set to put the pressure on Leganes with half-time approaching quickly. Surprisingly, it was the visitors who took the lead before the break as Rossier and Oscar Rodriguez combined neatly to set Dani Raba up for a shot inside the box in the 41st minute. While Mbappe tried his luck immediately after, Leganes stood firm to hold onto their lead.

Real Madrid came out into the second half to turn things around and Jude Bellingham thumped a loose ball into the net from very close range just ninety seconds from kickoff.

The hosts continued to ramp up the pressure to get the lead back, and while there were a few chances in between, it was Mbappe during the 76th minute who fired a curling shot from a free-kick position that went into the right corner. While Leganes tried their best to get their lead back and even had a penalty shout against the hosts very late into the game, it was Real Madrid who were ultimately the victors of the night.

Real Madrid will prepare for the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Sociedad, while Leganes will invite Osasuna next weekend.

Here are the Real Madrid vs Leganes player ratings.

Real Madrid Player Ratings

GK- Andriy Lunin – 6.5/10

He made several key saves and showed that he is a capable replacement for Courtois, but he could have handled a few moments a bit better.

LB- Fran Garcia – 7/10

A steady defensive performance accompanied by an equally good attacking display. He even picked up an assist for his stop-and-shoot combination with Mbappe for the third goal.

CB- Antonio Rudiger – 6.5/10

His physicality and leadership held together the backline as he bolstered the defence with some timely interceptions and crunching tackles.

CB- Raul Asencio – 6/10

The young centreback showed his inexperience on some occasions, as he got frustrated in some moments, which got him into the books of the referee.

RB- Lucas Vazquez – 5/10

His failure to clear the ball out cost his side as the visitors capitalised on his error. Outside of that, his performance was not up to the mark, and as a result, he made way for others.

CM- Jude Bellingham – 8/10

Another excellent night out for him, as his dynamic movements, accompanied by his brilliance on the ball, made him a dangerous threat. He levelled things out for his side with an excellently timed goal at the start of the second half.

CM- Eduardo Camavinga – 6.5/10

He provided balance to the midfield, connecting the defensive structure to the attackers, thus helping his side maintain the rhythm.

CM- Luka Modric – 7/10

It was a signature Modric performance, as he was the orchestrator in midfield, stringing passes together and controlling the tempo of the game.

LW- Brahim Diaz – 5.5/10

He failed to deputize Vinicius properly as he struggled to create consistent chances for his side from the left.

ST- Kylian Mbappe – 9/10

He was a constant threat with his blistering pace, accompanied by his fantastic eye for goal. A calm and composed penalty in the first half was accompanied by an excellent free-kick in the second half to complete the turnaround in style.

RW- Arda Guler – 6.5/10

While there were some flashes of creativity, he failed to make a continuous impact and thus was subbed off rightfully.

SUB- Rodrygo – 6/10

He was put in place of Guler to chase for the third goal to complete the turnaround.

SUB- Vinicius Junior – 6/10

He entered the pitch to replace struggling Brahim Diaz and as a result, the performance of the team improved.

SUB- Federico Valverde – 6.5/10

He replaced Lucas Vazquez on the right flank to add more energy to seal the game out and provide cover.

SUB- Aurelin Tchouameni – NA

He was subbed in as Ancelotti looked to hold onto the lead and provide a more physical presence in midfield.

Manager- Carlo Ancelotti- 7/10

While his side struggled in the first half and were surprisingly behind, they did a fantastic job of turning things around. He managed the minutes of his stars well and ended the night with a win in his bag.

Leganes Player Ratings

GK- Marko Dmitrovic – 6.5/10

While he made some saves that kept their side in the game, he could have done better to not concede that many goals.

LB- Javier Hernández – 6/10

While he did a decent job defensively, he offered little to nothing going forward, which gave his side fewer attacking options.

CB- Sergio González – 6/10

The captain was a calm presence at the back, he provided consistent defensive work with some vital clearances whenever needed.

CB- Matija Nastasic – 6.5/10

He made some key tackles and his reading of the game was excellent too, making him a pillar in defense on which the team could rely.

RB- Valentin Rosier – 5.5/10

A below average performance from him, as there were multiple lapses of judgment and limited impact going forward.

CM- Yvan Neyou Noupa – 5/10

He massively struggled to keep up with the high intensity of Real Madrid’s midfield, making him a liability, and he was subbed off rightfully.

CM- Renato Tapia – 5.5/10

While there were some energetic movements, his overeagerness to commit to challenges got him into the books of the referee.

CAM- Daniel Raba – 7.5/10

The attacking midfielder was a thorn in the backline of Real Madrid, showing some excellent movement and intelligent link-up play. He scored a vital goal that put his side into the lead in the first half.

LW- Oscar Rodriguez – 7/10

He did a good job in linking the defensive backline to the attackers. He contributed well to the buildup play too, ending the night with an assist to his name.

ST- Diego Garcia – 7/10

He scored a good goal to kick things off for his side, which gave them momentum to score another one. Despite getting a booking, his overall performance caused a lot of trouble for the hosts.

RW- Juan Cruz – 6/10

The weakest performance of the front three, as he struggled to make a consistent impact on the pitch, despite getting a lot of game time.

SUB- Seydouba Cisse – 6/10

He brought in a burst of energy that was required in the midfield, which stabilised the Leganes side for a bit.

SUB- Munir El Haddadi – NA

He made his way onto the pitch in place of Diego Garcia for the final few minutes, not making any sort of impact.

SUB- Darko Brasanac – NA

The defensive midfielder was put in late in the game to provide energy to the midfield to win the ball and turn it around.

SUB- Miguel de la Fuente – NA

He came in with limited minutes left, thereby not getting enough time to turn things around.

SUB- Yan Diomande – NA

He made his debut tonight for the club with the game coming to a close at the end.

Manager- Borja Jimenez – 6.5/10

While his side did a fantastic job to go into the dressing room at half-time with the lead, they struggled to maintain the same intensity in the second half and ultimately lost the match.

The Sportsdunia Player of the Match goes to Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe.