Full Match Player Ratings:

Thibaut Courtois – 8: At the start of the game he was called upon to make two crucial saves – one from a volley from Hugo Duro and the other from a header from Andre Almeida. A total of four saves were made in the game, with Valencia making eight shots on the night.

Lucas Vazquez – 4: He was taken out when conceding a goal and was unable to track down Hugo Duro at the back post.

Tchouameni—7: Won 7/8 ground duels and all six of his aerial duels. He carried the ball well out of defense and looked more confident in the central defender role.

Antonio Rüdiger—6: A calmer game from Rüdiger, who was cornered a few times, including in the final sequence of the game when Rioja almost equalized.

Ferland Mendy—5: Has had little impact both offensively and defensively. Only one tackle was made that night – no clearances, interceptions or blocked shots. Didn’t cause any danger in the final third and often played the safe cross pass.

Dani Ceballos – 6: The forward dual of Fede and Ceballos was utilized in the first half due to an erratic and disjointed pressing scheme. In the second half he improved along with the rest of the team.

Fede Valverde – 7: Worked tirelessly on both sides of the ball but failed to make the most of his long-range shooting despite making four shots on the night.

Jude Bellingham – 9: The leader of this team – Jude Bellingham has been the team’s best player all season and stepped up his game tonight with an assist and a game-winning goal in the 95th minute. Both the assist and goal came after a missed penalty, a testament to his attitude and resilience on the pitch.

Rodrygo – 4: Had no impact on the right side – a poor start to 2025 after good form in December.

Vinicius Junior – 5: Played through in the first half and had a chance that the Brazilian will probably take advantage of. He foolishly pushed Valencia’s goalkeeper Dimitrievski (albeit lightly and after Dimitrievski’s first contact) and received a red card. Lost his head and almost cost the team.

Kylian Mbappe – 5: Scored the first goal to equalize, but was disallowed for a minor offside position. Outside of that moment, he was quiet and showed little movement in the first half.

Substitutions:

Luka Modric—8: Scored the equalizer in the 85th minute with a confident finish, becoming the oldest goalscorer in Real Madrid history.

Brahim Diaz – 7: Recovered the ball high above the pitch, starting the sequence that led to Madrid’s equalizing goal.

Eduardo Camavinga – 7: Far exceeded Mendy’s impact at the left-back position despite only playing 25 minutes.