Post-Clasico Week (Part 1): Real Madrid 7-3 Sevilla
Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo: a great partnership in the making?
With the Clasico defeat still fresh in the memory, it was Sevilla’s turn to come knocking at the Santiago Bernabeu for Matchday 11. And, what a matchday it was. 10 goals, 3 penalties, 1 red card, insane goal mouth action, some top-notch goalkeeping (not something you would usually say in a 10-goal thriller) and some fascinating all-round football; an entertainment fiesta. It was also to be Gareth Bale’s first full 90 minute game for the Los Blancos. The game ended an astounding 7-3 in favour of Real Madrid but it could easily have been much more if not for the efforts of the two goalkeepers – Diego Lopez (Madrid) and Beto (Sevilla).
Real Madrid started off with what seemed like the more tried and tested 4-2-3-1 formation. Captain, Ramos, shifted back to his usual position at Centre-Back, Arbeloa replaced the impressive Carvajal, Isco taking the ‘10’ role with Bale at Right-Wing and Benzema, the ‘lone’ man up front. At least on paper, the formation, looked something like this:
Lopez
Arbeloa – Varane – Ramos – Marcelo
Khedira – Illaramendi
Bale – Isco – CR7
Benzema
Nothing defensive about this line-up from Ancelotti and the match was everything but defensive. Some neat play from Isco brought the ball to the feet of Benzema who picked out a free Bale surging into the Sevilla box, one touch, two, onto the deadly left foot and swoosh! 14mins, 1-0 Real Madrid, as Bale’s strike found itself into the left corner of the Sevilla net.
Every time Sevilla managed to get hold of the ball, they did put together some really impressive, neat and fluid build-up play but failed to come with the goods in the all-important final third. This game, however, was to be a million dollar night, this was Bale’s night.
A 26th minute foul on CR7 presented Madrid with a free-kick inside 30 yards in perfect CR7 range. To everyone’s surprise, ‘Commander’ CR7 let Bale have a go at it. And he had a pretty decent go, taking a deflection on the way to finding its way, once more, into Sevilla’s net. A few minutes later, Isco was adjudged to have been brought down inside the Sevilla penalty area, which was cooly converted by Ronaldo, making it 3-0 (should he have left it to Bale?). Sevilla hit once, twice and now thrice, all in just about 30 minutes.
Sevilla won a penalty of their own, when Ramos fouled inside the box around the 38th minute. Ivan Rakitic slotting it home, giving Sevilla a glimmer of hope. Almost immediately, Sevilla made it a double-punch with some smooth combination play leaving it to Bacca to fire the ball home. 3-2, 39 minutes, game on!
Sevilla continued to create some troubles for the shaky Madrid defence, however, failing to take any of their chances. One such glorious chance fell to Sevilla’s Jairo, early in the second half, only to end up in the back of Sevilla’s goal as a consequence of a swift Madrid counter. The ball broke to Ronaldo, who found Bale on the right, who surged forward, putting in a low cross, finding Benzema, who finally ended his scoring duck sending the ball into the back of the net to make it 4-2 for Madrid. The relief on Benzema’s face was clearly evident as he ran to celebrate with his idol Zinedine Zidane in the Madrid dugout.
It didn’t take too long for the next. Around the 60th minute, that man, Gareth Bale added to his impressive showing, another solid dashing run, crossing the ball into the Sevilla penalty area and finding the head of CR7; 6-2 for the night.
Not too long after came the sweetest goal of the night. Not from Madrid, but from Sevilla. Ivan Rakitic, finished off some nice play from the substitute Perotti, sending the ball into Diego Lopez’s goal with a beautiful strike curling the ball into the Madrid net.
Before you could start chanting Bale’s name around the Bernabeu, it was the ‘Commander’, Cristiano Ronaldo, who put goal no.6 into the Sevilla goal at the 71st minute, to complete another hat-trick and make it an astounding 158 goals from 147 league games.
Sevilla, however, kept up their fight. Rakitic was gifted another penalty but ended up rocketing the ball over the Lopez’s goal, summing up Sevilla’s game to some extent. Good play, but lacking the killer finish in the final moments. The game was eventually sealed beyond all hope by Karim Benzema, who scored Real’s 7th goal of the game in the 80th minute to complete a remarkable and maybe slightly flattering victory over Sevilla.
So, 7-3 it ended. 2 goals and 2 assists for Bale, a hat-trick for Ronaldo and another 2 goals for Benzema. A much needed game for Madrid, Bale and Benzema, in particular. Not too bad a way to recover from a Clasico defeat, I’d say!