Sevilla 1-2 Real Madrid: 5 talking points as Rodrygo nets brace to down menacing Rojiblancos | La Liga 2022-23
Real Madrid beat Sevilla in a 2-1 comeback victory at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in La Liga on Saturday. Rodrygo was the star with a brace for Los Blancos, while Rafa Mir scored for the Rojiblancos in the third minute.
A scramble in the penalty box saw Mir fire past Thibaut Courtois to put Sevilla 1-0 up as early as the third minute.
Rodrygo brought Madrid back into the game with a stupendous free-kick in the 29th minute, having missed a chance earlier on.
Erik Lamela also fired over the bar for the hosts as an engaging first half saw teams go into the break on level terms.
In the 69th minute, Rodrygo came back to haunt Sevilla once again after he burst forward on the break and showed excellent footwork before firing into the bottom corner to make it 2-1.
With less than 10 minutes remaining on the clock, Marcos Acuna was sent off for a nasty foul on Dani Ceballos. Real Madrid moved four points clear of Atletico Madrid in second while Sevilla are down in 10th.
Here are the five talking points from the match:
#5 Real Madrid equal their best away run against Sevilla
For the fourth time in a row, Real Madrid won away against Sevilla in La Liga. It's their joint-best run against the Andalusian side at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
Los Blancos previously achieved the feat in 1996. Their latest record also comes after losing thrice on the bounce away to Sevilla between the 2016-17 and 2018-19 seasons.
#4 Rodrygo stars for Real Madrid
With Karim Benzema ruled out, Real Madrid appeared to have their task cut out, but Rodrygo stepped up to the plate to score twice and seal all three points.
The Brazilian first struck a lovely free-kick in the 29th minute from range to bring his side level. He then struck the winner midway through the second half from a counter he started himself.
His influence on the side continues to grow as Rodrygo is now on 19 goals for the season ahead of their final match next weekend, in addition to 11 assists.
#3 Erik Lamela misses big time
Sevilla were a big menace to Real Madrid on the night and Erik Lamela was central to much of their good work. But he lacked the shooting boots to make his opportunities count.
In the 36th minute, he could only smash his effort against the post with Thibaut Courtois well beaten. He then wasted another opportunity six minutes later by sending his shot over the bar.
These misses ultimately proved costly for Sevilla.
#2 Aurelien Tchouameni makes his case
Aurelien Tchouameni started the game for Real Madrid and made the most of his opportunity with a promising display.
He won a free-kick in the first half and then set up Rodrygo with an excellent through-ball early into the restart. Defensively, too, the Frenchman came up trumps by intercepting Marcos Acuna's dangerous-looking cross in the 58th minute.
Overall, the youngster finished with four clearances and two interceptions in a nice all-round performance, perhaps his best in the second half of the season. This comes after his form having declined after the World Cup.
#1 Runners-up medal all but wrapped up for Real Madrid
Real Madrid moved four points clear of Atletico Madrid, who host Real Sociedad on Sunday in their penultimate La Liga game of the season.
La Real are looking to seal a top-four spot, so the Rojiblancos can expect a tough encounter. Meanwhile, their final game of the season is away to Villarreal, who are in fifth and looking to usurp Sociedad in fourth.
Either way, there's a big chance that Atletico will drop points in either (or both) games, sending the runners-up medal Real Madrid's way. For the record, Los Blancos close out their campaign at home to a struggling Athletic Bilbao.