Real Madrid fell to a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday night, putting a dent in their mission to retain the European title.
The reigning champions were unable to put anything past the Ligue 1 side, while Lille’s only goal of the game came in the form of a Jonathan David penalty. They’ll be counting their lucky stars that David failed to make a move away this summer after handing them a lifeline in UEFA’s prestigious competition.
But who was to blame for the Spanish giants’ loss? Here are Real Madrid’s best and worst players from the defeat according to 90min’s esteemed player ratings.
Dani Carvajal: 8/10
Madrid captain Dani Carvajal demonstrated his leadership skills on the pitch by driving most of his side’s play, pushing further up the pitch in a bid to create more chances in front of goal.
He won almost all of his duels and made eight passes into the final third. But, his defensive duties didn’t suffer because of this.
Carvajal was literally everywhere, breaking through Lille’s defence and flying back to defend his goal when the tempo changed.
Honourable mention
Eduardo Camavinga: 7/10
Eduardo Camavinga made a huge return from injury to feature in Madrid’s Champions League clash, for the better of his team.
The midfielder danced through the centre of the pitch, putting out fires everywhere he went. He was the most fouled player on the pitch but managed to get himself in all the right positions at all the right times to prevent Lille from running away with a lead.
He was at fault for Lille’s penalty – a costly mistake – but otherwise excelled.
Endrick: 4/10
Endrick became Madrid’s youngest ever player to start in the Champions League after being handed a spot in Carlo Ancelotti’s lineup to face Lille. His first start for the club was an exciting prospect for fans, but this excitement soon fizzled out when the 18-year-old failed to impact the game and drive his side’s attacking play.
The Brazilian did work hard while he was on the pitch, and had opportunities to score, but instead he made silly fouls and was eventually shown a yellow card after lunging at Alexsandro Ribeiro.
It wasn’t a terrible start for the youngster, but Endrick will have to improve on this outing if he is to live up to his expectations in Spain.
Dishonourable mentions
Vinicius Junior: 5/10
It wasn’t a good night for Endrick’s attacking partner either.
The more senior of the front two, Vinicius Junior was unable to get anything past Lille, despite his best efforts. He attempted four shots, two of which were on target, and created two chances in front of goal. None of his efforts materialised, however.
Wednesday night symbolised an uncharacteristic performance for the Brazilian, who has already registered three goals and seven assists during the 2024/25 campaign.
Jude Bellingham: 5/10
England star Jude Bellingham also found it difficult to make his mark on the game, failing to impose his quality over the course of the 90 minutes.
He attempted two shots towards the Lille goal, but only one was on target. Elsewhere, he created little and found it tough to break down Lille’s defence. He did, however, record the most tackles in the game, but received a yellow card towards the later stages of the game after executing a poorly-timed slide on Osame Sahraoui.
Madrid’s attacking stars lacked the flair and quality to offer their side anything in Wednesday’s disappointing defeat, settling for a loss in the initial stages of their Champions League campaign.
