Throwback Thursday: Real Madrid vs Granada and the worst WhoScored rated performance ever

 

WhoScored.com often take a look at the best-rated performers week on week, but rarely are the most dismal displays ever assessed in great depth. In April 2015, at Real Madrid, WhoScored users bore witness to the worst rated performance since we started collecting data from the 2009/10 season onwards. 

 

At the time, Los Blancos were doing everything in their power to chase down league leaders Barcelona in another exciting LaLiga title race. While the capital side would fall short come May, with a 2-2 home draw with Valencia ultimately proving costly, they were one of the most exciting teams, not only in Spain, but on the continent. 

 

They scored more goals (118) than any other team in LaLiga in 2014/15 under Carlo Ancelotti, whose side - on more than one occasion - tore opponents to shreds, spearheaded by goalscoring machine Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese forward scored a whopping 48 league goals that season, five of which came one April morning at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. 

 

It remains one of the more memorable matches in WhoScored folklore, but for those unaware, Real Madrid put Granada to the sword on home turf. Indeed, Los Blancos earned a 9-1 win over their LaLiga counterparts in the capital. Ronaldo, with his five goals, returned a perfect WhoScored 10 rating, so too did Karim Benzema, while Gareth Bale landed a 9.74 rating as BBC did what they do best. 

 

It was quite the contrast in rating to Granada goalkeeper Oier Olazabal. Being on the receiving end of a 9-1 thrashing is never a highlight for any shotstopper but the Spaniard still holds the infamous mantle of returning the lowest WhoScored rating in the website's history.  

 

That eventful 90 minutes saw Oier awarded a WhoScored rating of just 1.89. Yes, you read that correctly. 1.89 out of 10. 

 

Throwback Thursday: Real Madrid vs Granada and the worst WhoScored rated performance ever

 

Oier made three saves in that match, a respectable return, including one early on to deny Benzema, but the flood gates opened shortly after. Between his first and second saves of the match, Oier conceded seven goals, two of which came as a direct result of his own individual errors. Given he only committed three errors leading to an oppositon goal in LaLiga that season, two mistakes coming in the space of just three first half minutes were at least uncharacteristic on his part. 

 

The first saw the keeper palm a Marcelo cross straight to Ronaldo in the middle of the box before shipping to the same player just moments later, getting two hands to an admittedly stinging drive from outside the box but only conspiring to parry the ball into his own top corner.

 

Having let in eight of the 11 shots on target he faced in total - one of Real Madrid's goals was a Diego Mainz own goal after all - it contributed towards Oier's record breaking rating. What's more, his distribution was poor on the day, which also played a factor. 

 

Granada mustered a respectable 38.5 per cent possession in the 9-1 loss and they weren't helped by Oier, whose 35.1 per cent pass success rate from 37 passes was poor to say the least. With just six of his 30 attempted long balls finding a teammate, his hopeful punts forward did little but welcome additional pressure on the Granada goal. 

 

Either way, that Spring morning in Madrid brought about the lowest rated performance in WhoScored.com's history as Oier and Granada failed to contain Real Madrid's electrifying attack. The result didn't prove costly in the grand scheme of things - Granada just staved off relegation - but it's one 90 minute outing that Oier will never want to recall.

Throwback Thursday: Real Madrid vs Granada and the worst WhoScored rated performance ever