James Rodriguez played with a point to prove on Wednesday against Real Madrid, technically still his employers until he turns his two-year loan agreement into a permanent deal at Bayern Munich.
Rodriguez got an assist in an excellent performance, but was on the losing side in Munich’s 2-1 home defeat in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.
Here’s a closer look at how the Colombian fared.
KEY STATS
Goals – 0
Assists – 1
Shots – 0
Key Passes – 4
Passing Accuracy – 90%
Dribbles – 1
Touches – 94
Tackles – 4
30-SECOND VERDICT
It was clear from the start that James was playing with extra motivation, against the club that let him leave last summer. He did all the little things right, retaining possession and distributing the ball well, and pressing with intensity. And his bread-and-butter, the clever touches and incisive passes, were on display as well as he showed Madrid what they’re missing.
GOT RIGHT
Just about everything. James was popping up everywhere, especially in the first-half after Arjen Robben picked up an injury. He set up Bayern’s goal with a simple but decisive through ball for right-back Joshua Kimmich. The 26-year-old passed the ball with aplomb, and was equally impressive when Bayern weren’t in possession, pressing Madrid’s defenders with an intensity that showed how motivated he was.
James was delighted with his assist for the game’s opening goal.
GOT WRONG
Faded in the second-half, having less of an impact even as Bayern were chasing a much-needed equaliser. Also, given how he would have loved a goal against his old side, not to mention his penchant for scoring stunning goals, it was strange how he was rarely in goal-scoring positions, and how trigger-shy he seemed with his shooting.
VERDICT
James has been in superb form almost all season, as if rejuvenated at Bayern, and it was easy to see how much he wanted to show that against Madrid and former manager Zinedine Zidane. This was another display that showed why the Bundesliga champions want to make his loan from Madrid permanent this summer. Will Madrid regret letting him go?
RATING: 8/10