Dani Ceballos scored twice on his full debut as Real Madrid bounced back from a shock midweek defeat to Real Betis to close to within four points of La Liga leaders Barcelona with a 2-1 win at Alaves.
Here is our match ratings for both sides…
Pacheco 5 – Made a couple of decent saves but looked shaky and made a terrible error for the winner with a weak clearance.
Vigaray 5 – Limited impact in the opening period before departing through injury at the break.
Ely 6 – Did a good job in defence with several key clearances and offered a threat coming forward for set-pieces.
Maripan 5 – Good in the air but poor with the ball on the floor, and contributed to Madrid’s winner by colliding with his goalkeeper.
Duarte 6 – Had more touches than any other Alaves player, always looking to be constructive in attack.
Garcia 7 – Lion-hearted display and a brilliant header for his team’s first goal of the season, but lucky to stay on after elbowing Vazquez.
Torres 6 – Battled hard in midfield to subdue the threats of Madrid’s more technically gifted players.
Burgui 6 – Started the move for the equaliser with a brilliant run but otherwise wasteful in possession.
Medran 5 – Couldn’t make sufficient impact upon the game, struggling to escape the attentions of Casemiro.
Gomez 6 – Generally the brightest and most dangerous Alaves player, troubling the visitors with his darting runs and clever deliveries.
Munir 6 – Worked tirelessly and delivered a great cross for Garcia’s goal, but otherwise lacked impact in the final third.
Alaves boss Javier Cabello
Sobrino 5 – Came on for the latter stages and didn’t really get into the game.
Pedraza 7 – Unlucky not to steal a point as he twice hit the woodwork after coming on.
Alexis 6 – Introduced at right-back for the second half and stuck to his task well defensively, albeit limited coming forward.
Dani Carvajal vies with Alaves’ Alfonso Pedraza
Navas 6 – No chance for Alaves’s goal and few saves to make. Did what he had to well enough.
Carvajal 6 – The threat of Gomez made him less of an attacking threat than usual, but his cross led to the winner.
Ramos 7 – Excellent defensive display to shackle Munir but should have scored when presented a near-open goal in the second half.
Varane 6 – Used his pace to good effect but made a key slip which nearly allowed Pedraza to grab a leveller.
Nacho 6 – Typically committed performance, doing well against Burgui and nearly scoring with a header from a corner.
Ceballos 7 – Marked his full league debut with two well-taken goals and a bright first half, but faded as the game went on.
Casemiro 6 – Missed the presence of Modric and Kroos, looking less assured than usual, but worked hard defensively.
Isco 7 – Not his best performance but still at the heart of everything and produced a magical piece of control to create a golden chance for Ramos.
Vazquez 6 – Gave his team good width and always tracked back in defence, but lacked precision in the final third.
Ronaldo 6 – Still waiting for his first league goal of the season after twice hitting the post. One of the few times he’s lined up as central striker in a front three.
Asensio 7 – Some classy moments including the assist for Ceballos’s opener. Fluid in his movement and worked hard without the ball.
Dani Ceballos (R) celebrates his second goal
Llorente 6 – Received a standing ovation as he returned to former loan club and gave a safe, reliable performance.
Mayoral – Came on for the dying stages and hardly touched the ball.
Zinedine Zidane watches on as Real Madrid edge past Alaves
