Sevilla 3-2 Real Madrid: 5 Talking Points
Score: Sevilla 3-2 Real Madrid
Goalscorers: Sevilla - Wissam Ben Yedder 26', Miguel Layun 45', Sergio Ramos (OG) 84'
Real Madrid - Borja Mayoral 87', Sergio Ramos 90+6'
Real Madrid continued their disappointing form in La Liga with a 3-2 defeat at the hands of a resurgent Sevilla. Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan has been a bogey place for Madrid to visit in recent years and it proved to be just the case as Zinedine Zidane's men fell to their fifth defeat at the stadium in as many years.
Sevilla raced to a 2-0 lead at halftime courtesy of goals from Ben Yedder and Layun. Sergio Ramos missed his spot kick in the second half to bring Real back into the game. And to add more misery for the former Sevilla man, Ramos scored an own goal to make it 3-0 for Sevilla.
The visitors did pull back two right at the end with substitute Borja Mayoral getting on the scoresheet whereas Ramos made amends with a successful penalty this time around. But the comeback proved to be too late as Sevilla held on to a deserved win.
So without further ado, let's analyze this game in further and discuss the key talking points that emerged from Real Madrid's 3-2 defeat to Sevilla:
#5 Zinedine Zidane fields his second-string side
The Real Madrid boss has rotated his side quite heavily this season to keep his impact players fresh for the Champions League games - their main priority. It was the case against Sevilla as well with Real Madrid making eight changes from the side that drew 2-2 against FC Barcelona.
Only Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Casemiro took their place whereas the others were rested or injured. Ronaldo, Isco and Carvajal were out due to injuries whereas Gareth Bale was suspended. The likes of Marcelo, Kroos, Modric and Varane were given the night off.
But judging by the performance and the result, Zidane made far too many chances in a game which if his side had won would have cemented the second spot. The rested players could have at least been put on the bench to be utilized in the second half.
He had to defend his rotation in the post-match press conference where he said, "We have a final on May 26. I don't care what people think about this. I am the coach and I will decide."