Real Madrid 6-0 Real Valladolid: Player ratings as Karim Benzema fires hat-trick in Los Blancos rout
Real Madrid warmed up for their midweek Clasico with a 6-0 thrashing of lowly Real Valladolid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday afternoon.
Trailing Barcelona by one goal going into the second leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final on Wednesday, Real Madrid showed little hangover from the league Clasico their lost just before the March international break.
Karim Benzema plundered a 36-minute first-half hat-trick but it wasn't quite the breezy affair it turned into in the opening quarter of the contest. Real Valladolid, watched on by their owner Ronaldo Nazario, started brightly in a stadium which had seen the Brazilian score so many goals.
Roque Mesa struck the post moments before Monchu dragged an effort narrowly wide from the top of the box. However, Madrid underlined their unerring threat with a devastating counter-attack after 22 minutes.
The blur of white nylon began with Eduardo Camavinga shrugging his way into possession inside Madrid’s half. Marco Asensio led a charge downfield and slid the ball into Rodrygo’s path. The Brazilian had rubbed Ronaldo’s legs in an interview during the World Cup before wiping the "magic" onto his own limbs. It clearly worked as Rodrygo steadied himself before coolly picking out the bottom corner to open the scoring.
Within ten minutes, Vinicius Junior danced past Luis Perez, tickling the ball into the box. Jawad El Yamiq and goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo left the cross for each other but Benzema was in a greedy mood, gobbling up a simple tap-in with a stooped header.
By now the game was already over but Benzema had only just began. Dovetailing so devilishly with Madrid's fleet-footed Brazilians, Benzema waltzed through the final third before picking out the bottom corner from the top of the box. The reigning Ballon d'Or holder saved his best for last, contorting his 35-year-old frame to acrobatically turn Rodrygo's cross into the net.
The half-time whistle served as a small mercy for Valladolid from referee Juan Luis Pulido Santana. The official also helped out the visitors by ruling out what would have been Rodrygo's second goal for a handball from Vinicius in the buildup.
Carlo Ancelotti had seen enough after the first 65 minutes, emptying his bench as the tempo dwindled with each substitution. Asensio had yet to find his way onto the scoresheet and carried on plugging away, rubbing salt into the wounds of a side sitting 16th in the table with Madrid's fifth of the afternoon in the final 20 minutes.
The stakes were so low that even Eden Hazard got a rare run out. The Belgian couldn't stab a late effort into a partially guarded net but did collect a dire clearance from Asenjo, rolling the ball across for Lucas Vazquez to tuck in from close range.
Victory hasn't done much to boost Madrid's title aspirations, they still trail Barcelona by 12 points - but it will have injected confidence ahead of the crucial cup tie which looms at the Camp Nou in midweek.
Real Madrid player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Thibaut Courtois - 5/10 - Helped out by his woodwork on numerous occasions.
RB: Lucas Vazquez - 7/10 - Scampered forward gleefully with ample room down the right flank.
CB: Eder Militao - 8/10 - Scarcely put a foot wrong in a commanding display.
CB: David Alaba - 6/10 - Solid if not spectacular.
LB: Eduardo Camavinga - 7/10 - Unfazed by anything thrown at him, the unflappable 20-year-old was supremely serene once again.
CM: Aurelien Tchouameni - 7/10 - Swept up at the base of midfield calmly.
CM: Toni Kroos - 7/10 - Hardly misplaced a single pass as while repeatedly spotted the widening gaps in Valladolid's shape.
AM: Rodrygo - 9/10 - Utterly electric dancing and darting between the lines.
RW: Marco Asensio - 8/10 - Got the goals his performance warranted long after the match had been decided.
ST: Karim Benzema - 10/10 - Jose Mourinho once likened Benzema to a cat as part of a thinly veiled insult but Madrid’s number nine was purring throughout on Sunday.
LW: Vinicius Junior - 9/10 - Wreaking havoc swaying between the purple shirts which collapsed in his path.
Substitutes
Eden Hazard (65' for Benzema) - 5/10
Jesus Vallejo (69' for Alaba) - 5/10
Dani Ceballos (73' for Vinicius) - 5/10
Alvaro Odriozola (82' for Rodrygo) - N/A
Manager
Carlo Ancelotti - 7/10 - His side didn't have it all their own way throughout the match but he set up his vastly superior squad in a way that mercilessly routed the visitors.