Fans point finger at Benzema and Zidane for El Clásico failure
A survey carried out among AS.com users saw Barcelona goalkeeper Marc Andre ter Stegen hailed as 'man of the match' during Saturday's El Clásico.
Barça keeper Ter Stegen was the standout of the Clásico whilst Benzema and Zidane came up short. These are the conclusions from As.com readers after a post-El Clásico poll was conducted where readers rated the performances of each player involved in the game at the Bernabeu...
Karim Benzema: must do better
Ter Stegen came out as the best performing player from the contest scoring a total of 9.09 points (from 10). The German keeper pulled off a series of fine stops which kept Valverde's men in the contest, especially when the game was tied at 0-0. The other side of the coin was French player Karim Benzema, with the striker scoring the lowest ranking of 4.34. The Madrid No. 9 hit the post with a header before finally being substituted in the second half.
Zidane fails to deliver
Zidane was lambasted by many post game for his tactics and principally for his decision to leave a Isco on the Madrid bench in favour of Kovacic... His decision making process throughout the game was less than well received by supporters and his overall ranking for the game was a poor 4.79 points. Barça coach Ernesto Valverde meanwhile received plaudits for his reading of the game and tactical nous with online users giving the Basque manager a 8.42 after a vital win that moves the Catalan side a massive 14 points ahead of their rivals from the capital.
Keylor, highest ranked Madrid player
As.com users deemed that Costa Rican stopper Keylor Navas was the best player for the home side with a total vote of 7.72 with Modric (7.13) and Gareth Bale completing the podium for the Bernabeu outfit. No Madrid player managed to secure 8 points or more.
Messi, second for Barcelona
With 9.09 points Ter Stegen was regarded as the MVP of El Clásico followed by Argentine Lionel Messi (8.79) as the Barça No. 10 scored the second of the day for "Los Azulgrana". Defender Piqué (8.26) completes the podium for the Camp Nou side.
Cristiano 0-1 Messi
In the tussle amongst the leading lights, Lionel Messi won hands down after a discreet performance from the striker from Madeira. CR7 managed a 5.49 score from those polled more than three points behind the player from Rosario.