Carlo Ancelotti's side strolled into the last 16 of Spain's cup competition thanks to a classy showing against their lower-league opposition.
Real Madrid brushed aside fourth-tier Deportivo Minera in the Copa del Rey Monday evening, Luka Modric and Arda Guler piecing together a controlled midfield showing to ease Los Blancos to a 5-0 victory.
Guler scored two, and Modric added one of his own – while the duo bossed the bits in between to give Madrid a comfortable cup win. It didn't take long for Madrid to grab a foothold in the game. Arda Guler and Endrick had good chances almost immediately. Federico Valverde went one better soon after, opening the scoring five minutes in with a fine volley on the back of some shoddy Minera defending. Camavinga followed with a second soon after, nodding home at the far post. Guler made it three before half time, his deflected finish wrong-footing the goalkeeper to give Los Blancos clear daylight.
And they didn't let up after the break. Modric capped off a wonderful hour with the fourth – and his first ever in the Copa Del Rey. Guler added another late on, ending a flowing move with a side-footed finish into an open net.
There were looks for Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe, who tried desperately to grab themselves a goal. But it was otherwise a measured Blancos showing, 90 minutes in which they never looked troubled, and did away with a lower league side with ease. Onto the round of 16…
GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from Estadio Cartagonova…
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Andriy Lunin (6/10):
Barely had anything to do. His one save was from a shot that basically trickled into his arms.
Lorenzo Aguado (6/10):
A mixed bag from the debutant, who showed some promising moments, but also made the odd wrong decision. A good learning experience.
Raul Asencio (7/10):
Composed at the back after losing his spot in the first XI. Should be in the running for more regular selection.
Diego Aguado (7/10):
Good to see 90 minutes from a teenager, who equipped himself well in a relatively quiet evening's work.
Fran Garcia (7/10):
Scampered up the left side willingly, and looked to make things happen in attack.
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Federico Valverde (7/10):
Opened the scoring with a textbook volley, and earned a much-needed half off after that.
Eduardo Camavinga (7/10):
Brought the bite in the middle of the park. Won the ball and circulated it well. Scored a rare goal, too.
Luka Modric (8/10):
Grabbed a goal after a wonderful hour, serving as the beating heart of the Madrid midfield. These games are too easy for him.
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Arda Guler (9/10):
A brilliant performance. Scored one, was involved in the build up for three more, and was surprisingly gutsy in his duels, too.
Endrick (5/10):
Tried to turn into prime Lionel Messi every time he touched the ball, and could have done with keeping it simpler. Missed a couple of good chances, too.
Brahim Diaz (7/10):
Did lots of pretty things with the ball, grabbed himself an assist. Was well denied on a couple of occassions, too. A fine evening's work.
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Dani Ceballos (7/10):
Came on at the break and dictated the tempo of the game. Hardly misplaced a pass.
Lucas Vazquez (6/10):
Energetic on the wing, and put a couple of good crosses in.
Chema Andres (6/10):
A peripheral performance from a teenager.
Kylian Mbappe (5/10):
Ran a lot, but didn't do much when he had the ball.
Vinicius Jr (6/10):
Lively without being particularly effective. Tried to force things.
Carlo Ancelotti (8/10):
Brought in a mixture of backups and youth products, and made it look rather easy, all things considered. Exactly the kind of performance and scoreline he would have wanted.