Bale and Varane shine on opposite ends of the field as Madrid pull three points out of thin air.
Iker Casillas: 7. Only four shots made their way to Iker, but he was decisive on all 16 of Córdoba's crosses. Iker even guessed correctly on the penalty but couldn't quite get to the ball.
Marcelo: 3. Marcelo looked unlike his usual self on both ends. He only recorded one tackle (Gareth Bale had more than that), and wasted countless chances going forward. Lackadaisical passing and poor defensive discipline made for a pretty dreadful performance from the Brazilian.
Sergio Ramos: 3. "And Sergio Ramos is booked" is on its way to becoming an ancient Spanish proverb, and he made haste in putting Real Madrid in a hole with a careless handball. After that he played better, but was hardly the defensive force we know him to be, recording only one tackle and two clearances.
Raphaël Varane: 8. Varane makes the incredible look effortless, and today he shadowed the shortcomings of Ramos and Marcelo. Rapha led the squad in clearances and blocked shots, all without conceding a foul.
Dani Carvajal: 7. On top of a team-high six tackles, Carvajal also put in plenty of useful crosses in Córdoba's third. A good, not great performance from Carvajal.
Sami Khedira: 5. A predictable performance from a player who's played as little as Khedira has. He wasn't the inventive, creative force Isco is, but Sami was decisive in his passing and prevented Córdoba from breaking through the midfield often.
Toni Kroos: 7. By his standards, it was a forgettable match, but Kroos still led the team in passes completed, passing percentage, and touches. He wasn't his dominant self, but still a calming presence in the midfield.
James Rodriguéz: 7. It seems lately James has been the target of many hard fouls, and he certainly took a beating against Córdoba. Regardless, he consistently moved well off the ball, and his 10 crosses led the team. Akin to Carvajal, it was a solid but not outstanding game from James.
Cristiano Ronaldo: 2. Ronaldo probably hasn't played a match this poor since he was a teenager. We'll never know what Cartabia did or said to provoke his red card aggression, but it was uncharacteristic and would cost the team points on other days. Despite that, he took half as many shots (3) as his season average, and for the first time in 16 league matches, he failed to record a point. He is human after all.
Karim Benzema: 7. Benzema was the only player to record multiple shots on target and gave Córdoba's center backs fits all day. He finally found the net after six goalless matches, and his equalizer proved massive.
Gareth Bale: 8. Real Madrid were certainly Baled out today (I'm sorry). Bale both earned the penalty and finished it off, and his headed flick onto Benzema made his goal possible. Bale's certainly played better matches, but he was colossal when needed most, and Madrid would've dropped three points if not for Bale.
Jesé: --. Only four minutes were insufficient to grade Jesé.
Fábio Coentrão: 7. Coentrão was three times more effective than Marcelo in a third of the minutes played.
Asier Illarramendi: 6. Similar to Khedira, he was in a very difficult position to thrive, especially with limited minutes. Illarra completed all 20 of his passes, and did his job on the defensive end as well.
Man of the Match: Gareth Bale