Madrid probed and prodded, forcing Levante goalkeeper Mathew Ryan into a handful of smart saves. But he could do nothing about the opener, a fine trivela poke into the far corner from Vinicius. Franco Mastantuono added a second shortly after, beating his man and lashing into the roof of the net.
They might have had one or two more before the break, only for Ryan to intervene. Levante got themselves back into it, however. A fortunate deflection saw the ball float over Thibaut Courtois and into the path of Etta Eyong, who nodded home from close range. Mbappe eased things, though. He converted a penalty on the hour mark to make it three, and added a fourth soon after – putting whatever fears remained to bed.
This was once again a little scruffy around the edges, but Madrid are piecing things together, and look a solid side ahead of the Madrid derby this weekend.
BALLGM rates Real Madrid‘s players from Ciutat de Valencia…
Madrid probed and prodded, forcing Levante goalkeeper Mathew Ryan into a handful of smart saves. But he could do nothing about the opener, a fine trivela poke into the far corner from Vinicius. Franco Mastantuono added a second shortly after, beating his man and lashing into the roof of the net.
They might have had one or two more before the break, only for Ryan to intervene. Levante got themselves back into it, however. A fortunate deflection saw the ball float over Thibaut Courtois and into the path of Etta Eyong, who nodded home from close range. Mbappe eased things, though. He converted a penalty on the hour mark to make it three, and added a fourth soon after – putting whatever fears remained to bed.
This was once again a little scruffy around the edges, but Madrid are piecing things together, and look a solid side ahead of the Madrid derby this weekend.
BALLGM rates Real Madrid’s players from Ciutat de Valencia…
Thibaut Courtois (7/10):
Made a couple of nice saves. Unfortunate to concede thanks to some pretty evil spin.
Raul Asencio (5/10):
A rare start as a converted right back. Didn’t cover his man on the Levante goal.
Dean Huijsen (7/10):
Excellent in the first half, a little shakier in the second. Young and still learning.
Alvaro Carreras (7/10):
Interesting to see him used as a center back. Mostly held his own, and looked far more comfortable when Los Blancos shifted to a back three.
Fran Garcia (6/10):
Scampered up and down the left, but his final ball could have been a little cleaner.
Federico Valverde (6/10):
A bit quieter from the Uruguayan. Assisted but wasn’t particularly involved in play.
Dani Ceballos (7/10):
A first start of the season for a midfielder who most thought would leave. Paced things well in a holding role.
Arda Guler (7/10):
Not his most involved game. Disappeared for long stretches, but then woke up by providing a ridiculous assist for Mbappe.
Franco Mastantuono (7/10):
Missed a couple, then took his first goal for the club really nicely. Another solid showing.
Kylian Mbappe (8/10):
Was relatively quiet for an hour before coming alive. Scored twice and made the game his. Excellent so far this season.
Vinicius Jr (7/10):
Scored a wonderful goal to mark a welcome return to form. Loose here and there, though, as he works his way back to his best.
Aurelien Tchouameni (5/10):
Broke up play effectively, moved it around.
Jude Bellingham (6/10):
Could have scored soon after coming on, but fluffed his lines. A few nice moments on the ball.
Eduardo Camavinga (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Rodrygo (N/A):
Also didn’t have enough time to contribute much.
David Alaba (N/A):
Likewise was only on for a bit of cardio.
Xabi Alonso (8/10):
Rotated heavily once again as he tried to find the right configuration. It didn’t always work, but Madrid leaned on their stars to ease to a win.
