Lille 1-0 Real Madrid: Player ratings as underwhelming Champions League holders beaten | OneFootball

Real Madrid slipped to an unexpected Champions League defeat at the hands of Lille on Wednesday night in what was a first ever meeting between the clubs.

The reigning European champions had started well on matchday one against Stuttgart last month but struggled to find any sort of attacking rhythm or consistent threat in this one. Too many players dressed in white underwhelmed, with Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Endrick flying too much under the radar. Kylian Mbappe and Luka Modric couldn’t save it from the bench either.

For their part, Lille played with confidence like they deserved to share this stage with the mighty Madrid. The gameplan was careful, considered and executed perfectly. It was by no means a backs to the wall job, but it was a solitary Jonathan David penalty that won it in the end.

How the game unfolded

Madrid’s pressing earned their first chance of the night, a sighter from Vinicius Junior after the ball was won high up pitch, but a relatively simple save for Lille’s Lucas Chevalier. Yet the visitors didn’t build on that moment and, if anything, Lille looked the more at ease as things progressed.

Neither side had another chance until Endrick spied a gap and surged through it, but only able to hit the eventual finish into the body of Chevalier as the goalkeeper rushed out. Lille had an even better opportunity to break the deadlock than that when Andriy Lunin was equal to David’s close-range header, but then got up to turn the Canadian striker’s rebound effort onto the post.

Lille’s brave approach was rewarded in first half stoppage time when David converted from the spot. Eduardo Camavinga, who had been routinely shutting down attacks, was their way in when the ball caught a stray arm and, after a VAR intervention, a penalty was the result.

Madrid almost had an instant equaliser, but Chevalier was again out quick to stop Vinicius Junior from getting his shot away cleanly. Endrick’s follow-up missed the target, albeit via an unseen deflection.

Lille remained the strong side in the opening exchanges of the second half, prompting Carlo Ancelotti to throw caution to the wind and put both Mbappe and Modric into the game. Endrick, for whom it was a tough night other than his one self-made chance, was hooked.

Even with the changes, Madrid still weren’t clicking in the final third and chances remained few and far between. Dani Carvajal was an unlikely source of one when he flicked on a right-footed cross from Vinicius Junior that didn’t miss the target by that much.

Madrid looked like they’d got off the hook on a couple of occasions late on, first as substitute Arda Guler’s far post caused mayhem and Antonio Rudiger saw his attempt scrambled off the line, before Chevalier did enough to deny Jude Bellingham. From the resultant corner, Rudiger was foiled again. But the final whistle came to the delight of the home fans without any kind of mad onslaught.

Real Madrid player ratings (4-4-2)

Endrick struggled in this one / SAMEER AL-DOUMY/GettyImages

GK: Andriy Lunin - 7/10 - Back in the starting XI for the injured Thibaut Courtois and showed he hasn't lost anything with a superb double save in the first half. No chance with the penalty.

RB: Dani Carvajal (c) - 8/10 - At times was pushing further forward than any Madrid player, and yet his defensive covering was also excellent for the most part. Seemed to be everywhere.

CB: Antonio Rudiger - 7/10 - Fine defensively. Two late chances to equalise were kept out.

CB: Eder Militao - 6/10 - Defended well in open play, particularly on one occasion tracking David and outmuscling the Lille striker. Sacrificed tactically early in the second half.

LB: Ferland Mendy - 6/10 - Not clear if his withdrawal at half-time was tactical or fitness-related. It didn't seem to be because of his performance.

RM: Federico Valverde - 5/10 - Saw a fair bit of the ball but it never seemed like he did much with it.

CM: Aurelien Tchouameni - 6/10 - Passed a lot, but mainly sideways and backwards. Moved into the back four when Militao went off for more attacking changes.

CM: Eduardo Camavinga - 7/10 - You wouldn't have known this was his first game of the season after more than a month sidelined through injury. All over the place extinguishing fires. Conceding the penalty with a stray arm was an isolated, but unfortunately costly, blip.

LM: Jude Bellingham - /10 - Really struggled to impose his quality on the game.

ST: Endrick - 4/10 - Handed his first start for the club but did little to improve Madrid's overall lethargy. One burst of pace carved out a great chance but barely touched the ball otherwise.

ST: Vinicius Junior - 5/10 - On the periphery of the game. That was disappointing because the moments he was involved typically were Madrid's best.

SUB: Fran Garcia (46' for Mendy) - 6/10

SUB: Luka Modric (57' for Endrick) - 5/10

SUB: Kylian Mbappe (57' for Militao) - 5/10

SUB: Arda Guler (67' for Camavinga) - 6/10

Subs not used: Sergio Mestre (GK), Jacobo Ramon, Jesus Vallejo, Lucas Vazquez, Rodrygo.

Carlo Ancelotti - 6/10 - Certainly proactive with his changes when it was clear Madrid needed more. But the players on the pitch, both at the start and at the end, should have been enough.