On Tuesday night, Real Madrid defeated Alaves 5-0 with ease, a performance that surprised many.

In contrast to popular expectation, Carlo Ancelotti selected a powerful starting eleven, which was evident in Madrid’s explosive attacking display. Jude Bellingham scored first, and then goals from Vinicius Junior twice, Arda Guler, and Federico Valverde completed an overwhelming victory.

The course of the game

Within the first ninety seconds, Thibaut Courtois was stumbling, but he was able to get down twice to block Samu Omorodion’s near-post attempts.

Ten minutes in, Bellingham, who looked to mishit a volleyed cross and was left watching as the ball soared awkwardly over Jesus Owono and into the back of the Alaves net, gave Madrid the lead. Madrid was enjoying plenty of possession at this point. Whether deliberate or not, they all matter.

The dynamic Vinicius ran the ball off the pitch twice after overhitting and fizzing into the side netting. Despite this, he was still causing havoc down the left side.

But it was just a matter of time until the Brazilian changed his focus and took the goal. With 27 minutes remaining, Eduardo Camavinga’s low cross fell directly at Vinicius’ feet, who tapped it in from close range.

Even though Madrid’s defense had some nervous moments, Courtois had to stay in the game as Ianis Hagi’s long-range effort went wide. Madrid also scored a third goal on the cusp of halftime thanks to a brilliant strike into the top corner by Valverde.

Just before the hour, Courtois again denied Hagi with a strong hand, and Owono made a great stop to prevent Rodrygo from scoring a fourth.

Twenty minutes from time, Vinicius finally scored the fourth goal after a brilliant through-ball from Bellingham.

Ten minutes later, Guler added a fifth goal and Madrid easily won.

Thibaut Courtois, GK: 8 out of 10. Much busier than he would have anticipated, yet he met and exceeded every task that was thrown at him. A few significant saves to keep Madrid in command.

RB: Dani Carvajal – 7/10 – Helped Madrid move across the field by collecting long ball after long ball from Kroos. Always willing to help his comrades.

CB: 6/10 for Eder Militao Though he wasn’t always at ease in the back, it’s obvious he’s still figҺting to get back to full health.

CB: Nacho Fernandez – 6/10 – Made an effort to restrict Alaves’ space, but occasionally found himself chasing shadows.

LB: Ferland Mendy – 6/10 – Never really needed to shift into a higher gear because he blended in reasonably effectively with Bellingham and Vinicius down the left side of the pitch.

DM: 8/10 Toni Kroos dominated play with a string of great passes, one of which was a beautiful ball that led to Bellingham’s first goal.

DM: 8 out of 10 for Eduardo Camavinga With extraordinary vigor, he rolled around as if he could cover every blade of grass. Excellent in the tackle and even managed to chip in with a help.

RM: 7/10 Federico Valverde Madrid was able to press forward with the usual vigor down the right. struck his goal powerfully into the upper corner.

Jude Bellingham, AM – 9/10 Possibly not intended for his goal, but undoubtedly intended for his two assists. His family was in the stands, witnessing a truly moving performance.

Vinicius Junior, LM: 9/10 an unrelenting force on the left. Consistently attempted to lag behind and earned his objectives.

ST: Rodrygo – 6/10 – Had a few risky possessions but was primarily Bellingham’s and Vinicius’ backup.