Carlo Ancelotti's side were sloppy at the Bernabeu, but still picked up a valuable three points in the Liga title race
Luka Modric turned in an ageless showing and Vinicius Jr got back among the goals as an otherwise sloppy Real Madrid worked their way to a 2-0 win over Girona on Sunday. There were chances aplenty for Los Blancos, but they were largely wasteful in front of goal, with Kylian Mbappe in particular losing his shooting boots after a scintillating hat-trick against Manchester City in midweek.
Madrid hummed early as Mbappe and Vinicius combined repeatedly to pepper the Girona goal. Paulo Gazzaniga stood tall, though, providing a flurry of saves to keep Carlo Ancelotti's side out. Thibaut Courtois, too, made a couple of crucial stops at the other end to keep things level.
A Modric moment of magic broke the game open five minutes before the break. The Croatian controlled a looped clearance on the edge of the Girona box, before smashing the ball into the far corner.
Vinicius almost made it 2-0 on the hour mark, but his curled effort rattled the bar, while Mbappe should have put the game to bed after 80 minutes, as he darted through on goal, only to see his shot saved. Vinicius sealed things soon after, however, as he poked past Gazzaniga after a one-two with Mbappe.
This was a slightly sloppy Madrid performance. They missed the drive of Jude Bellingham on the day, and could have done with some cleaner finishing. Still, in such a tight title race, Ancelotti can have few complaints.
GOAL rates Madrid's players from Santiago Bernabeu…
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Thibaut Courtois (7/10):
Made a couple of important saves in the first half. Not much to do after the break.
Lucas Vazquez (6/10):
Scampered up and down the right. Blasted one narrowly wide.
Raul Asencio (7/10):
Pretty quiet at the back, which is an immense compliment. Solid alongside a new partner in Alaba.
David Alaba (6/10):
A solid return to the XI. Tidy at the back, and didn't make a mistake – which is kind of the point.
Ferland Mendy (6/10):
Did well mostly in a shielding role as Vinicius got forward.
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Aurelien Tchouameni (6/10):
Steady at the base of midfield. Kept the ball moving and won his tackles.
Brahim Diaz (5/10):
A rare start that he didn't quite make the most of. A few nice touches, but not much more.
Luka Modric (8/10):
Scored an absolute beauty to give Madrid the lead. Created chances, found the proper angles and looked to put the forwards in.
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Rodrygo (5/10):
Twisted and turned, and was accurate in his passing. But he blasted a couple over and wasn't quite sharp.
Kylian Mbappe (6/10):
Missed a couple of the half-chances he would usually bury, even if he did connect well with Vinicius and Rodrygo.
Vinicius Jr (7/10):
Lacked cutting edge in the first half. Smashed one off the bar in the second. Finally got his goal with minutes remaining – he needed one.
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Dani Ceballos (6/10):
Held things down in central areas after coming on.
Eduardo Camavinga (6/10):
Flew into tackles and made things happen going forward.
Antonio Rudiger (N/A):
Late defensive legs.
Endrick (N/A):
A brief run out.
Carlo Ancelotti (7/10):
Changed things up a bit without Bellingham to turn to. Didn't get the best showing out of his side, but won't care; the win is what mattered most.