Granada vs. Real Madrid: Winners and Losers from La Liga
Real Madrid secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Granada at Estadio Nuevo Los Carmenes on Sunday, courtesy of a Luka Modric screamer.
Karim Benzema had given Los Blancos the lead on the half-hour mark with a tapped finish from a Dani Carvajal cross, but Granada's second-half pressure eventually bore fruit after Youssef El Arabi slotted home just a minute after his entrance to the game.
With Zinedine Zidane's men scrabbling for a winner late on, it was Modric—the best player on the park—who blasted an unstoppable 20-yard piledriver into the top corner.
Here, Bleacher Report picks its winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Luka Modric, Real Madrid
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The best, classiest player on the pitch by a distance, Luka Modric is an easy choice for our winner's section.
His weight of pass and masterful ball-playing skills were on full display. He continually found space to utilise, setting up two clear-cut chances that Karim Benzema missed and proceeding to score a wonderful winning goal, arrowing a fine 20-yard strike into the top corner with just five minutes to go.
The Croatian did give the ball away for Granada's equalising goal, but it was hardly his fault; the referee ran into him while dribbling, causing the turnover. A strange happening.
Loser: Dimitri Foulquier, Granada
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If you're looking for a masterclass in how to defend, steer clear of Dimitri Foulquier's tape.
The Frenchman gave up swathes of space to Real Madrid on his flank throughout the game, and it was his fault Karim Benzema's opening goal went in, as he completely forgot to mark Dani Carvajal, who had drifted in behind the defensive line and into a crossing position.
Foulquier is eager to push forward and benefits from the link play Adalberto Penaranda initiates, but defensively he's entirely unstable. Los Blancos took full advantage when it mattered.
Winner: Raphael Varane, Real Madrid
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Three of Real Madrid's four defenders were far from stellar on Sunday night: Dani Carvajal grabbed an assist but struggled to track runners, the same applies to Marcelo (minus the assist) and Sergio Ramos flitted from excellent to questionable all too regularly.
Fortunately, the fourth member of the line, Raphael Varane, was excellent and repelled everything that came his way.
He makes defending look genuinely easy, gliding across the turf to block and dispossess at will. Positionally he was perfect—the reliable anchor upon which Real Madrid held on in the face of waves of Granada pressure.
Loser: James Rodriguez, Real Madrid
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James Rodriguez was withdrawn in the 61st minute on Sunday—just 60 seconds or so after Granada had equalised via Youssef El Arabi.
It was another iffy performance from the Colombian who is struggling to find top gear, failing to influence proceedings and failing to offer that glint of quality we know he has in the final third.
He's in the XI due to Gareth Bale's calf injury, and he really has to be doing better if he hopes to retain his spot once the Welshman returns. Isco, the man who has actually usurped him, didn't play too well either but has the trust of Zinedine Zidane to bank on. James doesn't.
Winner: Karim Benzema, Real Madrid
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Karim Benzema netted his 19th Liga goal of the season on Sunday, doing so in just his 17th start of the season. That's a phenomenal, Cristiano Ronaldo-esque tally.
Per ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan, he's now scored in six consecutive games and has opened the scoring in 11, underlining his skill at breaking the deadlock and setting the groundwork for Real Madrid wins.
Despite being brutally effective for Los Blancos over the years, this is his first season at the Bernabeu where he has truly been prolific in front of goal. What a time to do it, too, given the rumours—per Marca's Jose Felix Diaz, among others—surrounding a summer move for Robert Lewandowski!
