Real Madrid picked up their second successive win in Group B as Carlo Ancelotti's side survived a scare to beat Ludogorets Razgrad 2-1 on matchday two of the Champions League.

Ludogorets forward Marcelinho nodded the Bulgarians into a one-goal lead after seven minutes.

It sparked the Blancos into life, however, as Cristiano Ronaldo equalised from the penalty spot having earlier missed from 12 yards.

Karim Benzema then climbed off the bench and tapped home the winner within 10 minutes of his introduction.

Below, Sports Mole determines who excelled and who ought to have stayed home tonight.

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Goal

Vladislav Stoyanov: Fine performance from Stoyanov and did not deserve to be on the losing side. Saved Ronaldo's first penalty and pulled off a series of crucial stops to keep Real at bay. (8/10)

Defence

Cosmin Iosif Moti: Was dreadfully unlucky to have had a penalty awarded against him after Cristiano Ronaldo went to ground a bit too easily. Solid defensively and one of the many positives for Ludogorets tonight. (7/10)

Aleksandar Aleksandrov: Together with Moti managed to keep the Galacticos at bay for the most part. Might have scored after squandering a free header in the first half. (6/10)

Yordan Minev: Made amends for conceding the first penalty by clearing Ronaldo's shot off the line in the second half. Solid contribution from the left-back. (6/10)

Junior Caicara: Perhaps guilty of not being tighter to Marcelo, who swung in the teasing cross which led to Benzema tapping home the winner. Did reasonably well to combat Ronaldo and Isco other than that. (6/10)

Midfield

Fabio Espinho: Forced the quiet Iker Casillas into a fine save in the second half with a 30-yard rasper, Espinho's one and only bright moment in the game. (5/10)

Svetoslav Dyakov: Did well to stifle Luka Modric at times but as his energy levels dropped Real began to fashion more chances. (5/10)

Dani Abalo: Industrious performance on the right wing, helping Caicara to deal with the interchanging Isco and Ronaldo for much of the second half. (6/10)

Mihail Aleksandrov: Like Abalo, Aleksandrov pulled his weight defensively and was a key factor as to why Gareth Bale looked less of a player than we know he is. (6/10)

Attack

Roman Bezjak: Had an offside goal correctly chalked off but never found himself in those areas enough to score legitimately. (4/10)

Marcelinho: Netted the opener for a moment that he will never forget, but there was little memorable about his overall contribution and found himself isolated at times. (6/10)

Substitutes

Wanderson: Replaced goalscorer Marcelinho on 70 minutes and his pace helped cause problems but the end product was often lacking. (5/10)

Anicet Abal: Came on for Espinho as Ludogorets looked to equalise, but he did not look the man capable of salvaging that point. (5/10)

Goal

Iker Casillas: Like his opposite number, pulled off a couple of excellent saves. He was far quieter than Stoyanov by virtue of Real's dominance but he was ready when called upon. (6/10)

Defence

Alvaro Arbeloa: Communication skills left a little to be desired after he and Sergio Ramos attacked the same ball which led to Marcelinho's opening goal(5/10)

Rafael Varane: Solid performance from the centre-half but had very little to do in a Real Madrid-dominated second-half showing. (7/10)

Sergio Ramos: Grew into the encounter well after what was a very disappointing opening few minutes for the Spain defender. (6/10)

Marcelo: Swung in a delightful cross which led to Karim Benzema's winner in a solid attacking display from the Brazilian left-back. (7/10)

Midfield

Asier Illarramendi: Shielded his back four well and proved adept at linking defence to attack. (6/10)

Luka Modric: Continuously spurned good set-piece opportunities and searched for the Hollywood pass a bit too often. (5/10)

Isco: Would have had an assist had Hernandez not fluffed his lines and missed what was essentially an open goal. Dovetailed well with Ronaldo on the left. (6/10)

Attack

Gareth Bale: The world's most expensive footballer was far from his best tonight and lacked the end product to help Real move ahead. (5/10)

Javier Hernandez: Could, and most definitely should, have marked his first Real Madrid start with a goal but missed a number of clear goalscoring opportunities. (5/10)

Cristiano Ronaldo: Scored and missed a penalty but the Portuguese drifted in and out of the game and was largely anonymous in the second half. Well below his impeccable standard. (6/10)

Substitutes

Karim Benzema: Scored the all-important winner within 10 minutes of replacing the misfiring Hernandez. His place in the first XI is very safe. (7/10)

James Rodriguez: Real scored within moments of his arrival on 76 minutes, and would have scored late on if not for Stoyanov's heroics. (6/10)

Written by
Shane Callaghan