Real Madrid 5-0 Sevilla, 5 Key Talking Points
Scoreline: Real Madrid 5-0 Sevilla
Scorers: Nacho 3', Ronaldo 23' 32', Kroos 38', Achraf 42'.
Real Madrid got back to their belligerent best as they outbattled and bullied a tepid Sevilla side who will live the rest of their week looking over their shoulder owing to PTSD.
As for the star man Cristiano Ronaldo, the 5th Ballon d'Or win seems to have fanned the flames of a fire that was perceivably fading and he came up with the goods that were as shiny as his freshly waxed face.
Nacho opened the score for Los Blancos in the 3rd minute thanks to some sloppy defending from the Sevilla backline. Marco Asensio then played Ronaldo in on goal and he kept a steady head to slot it past a diving Rico.
Ronaldo then converted from the spot after Navas silently plead guilty to a handball inside the area. The Madrid legend then stole the ball from Sevilla in the centre of the pitch like he was freakin Casemiro and sent Kroos motoring into the final third. Ze German then engaged in a swift exchange with Lucas Vazquez and caressed the ball into the back of the net to make it 4-0.
Real Madrid served more punishment to Berizzo's men as Hakimi finished off after Karim Benzema set him up on the right side of the area.
#5 Real Madrid's breakneck counterattacks are back
Up until now, Real Madrid have been a team that have been purring when expected to roar. But tonight, Zizou's men decided that it's time to hunt 'em down and gut 'em right after. Madrid lined up without Casemiro in the centre so as to enable the quick legs of Asensio, Ronaldo and Vazquez to run riot up front.
They did exactly that and made a raid on the Sevillan ranks from the get-go. Their relentlessness and tenacity bore fruit as the cracks opened up and the Sevillan defenders started dropping like flies.
But pace alone is simply not enough and Zidane taking the lads to the woodshed to get them to back to their lethal best seems to have done the business.
Ronaldo scored the second goal of the game after Asensio cut right through the heart of the Sevillan backline with an incisive ball. Toni Kroos and Achraf Hakimi's goals came at the end of two top gear ploys.