117 touches, 1 assist: Struggling Real Madrid midfielder puts in a MOTM performance against Celta Vigo | OneFootball

After tasting a humiliating defeat at the hands of their arch-rivals, FC Barcelona, in the Spanish Super Cup final last Sunday, Real Madrid returned to action in the Copa del Rey Round of 16 with a match against Celta Vigo.

The Merengues were able to get a 5-2 victory, albeit after going into extra-time with a 2-2 scoreline. Carlo Ancelotti’s men were clearly the better team on the pitch, but Celta Vigo also kept threatening Andriy Lunin’s goal at regular intervals, and their efforts paid off in the final phase of the game when they scored two goals to force extra time.

Several players stood out for Real Madrid in this game. Kylian Mbappe was once again at his best and scored an amazing goal after taking the ball from the halfway line. Vinicius Junior also scored a goal but was still not at his best with the ball at his feet.

Endrick took full advantage of the extra time that he got to play after getting on the pitch in the 79th minute. He scored two goals in extra time to ensure his side’s advance to the quarter-finals, and Federico Valverde scored another goal in between the Brazilian’s two goals.

Thus, Los Blancos were finally able to get a win in this game. However, things were not looking too good for them ahead of the match, as the Santiago Bernabeu faithful whistled and booed Carlo Ancelotti, Vinicius Junior, Ferland Mendy, and Aurelien Tchouameni.

But as the match went on, Tchouameni showed that these whistles had made him only stronger as he finally put in a highly encouraging performance from his natural position in midfield. He played the full 120 minutes in this game and was the highest-rated player on the night according to Sofascore rating.

The Frenchman kept his hold on the midfield with his 117 touches throughout the night. His passing was also quite decent as he completed 81 out of his 16 passes, thus recording a 94% success rate. The midfielder also completed 4 of his 6 attempted long passes.

Without the ball, he once again showed the characteristics that the fans expect to see from him. He won 7 of his 11 ground duels and 1 of his 2 aerial duels. Defensively, he made 4 clearances, 3 interceptions, and 5 tackles, while also blocking 2 shots. Tchouameni was dribbled past only once in this match.

The Real Madrid midfielder also got an assist to his name, as Federico Valverde scored another long-range banger after getting a pass from him.

Thus, one can argue that the whistles and boos he received prior to the game turned out in his favour on the night. The fact that he was playing in his natural position could also have contributed to this improved performance, even though he has not really been excellent when playing this role earlier in the season.

Anyway, Real Madrid fans will be quite happy with his performance in this game, and will be hoping he can get back to his best level as their campaign enters a crucial phase in the second half of the season.