"That was a tight one", "Modric clears Kevin De Bruyne" - Fans react as Real Madrid claim vital 1-0 win against Sevilla

Real Madrid took one step closer to becoming La Liga champions after beating Sevilla 1-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in a tense affair on Sunday (February 25).

Carlo Ancelotti's Los Blancos headed into tonight's game top of La Liga, with a five-point lead over second-placed Barcelona. They have been enjoying a superb run of form, unbeaten in the league in their last 18 games.

However, Sevilla put up a fight at the Bernabeu as they defended admirably against Real Madrid's in-form attackers. But, it was the hosts who had the ball in the back of the net in the 10th minute.

Lucas Vazquez smashed home an impressive volley after Nacho Fernandez had dispossessed Youssef En-Nesyri. He found Vinicius Junior who sent an inch-perfect cross to Vazquez who buried the ball past Sevilla's Norweigan goalkeeper Orjan Nyland.

However, the visitors surrounded referee Díaz de Mera Escudero in protest as they felt Nacho failed En-Nesyri. VAR reviewed the incident and Escudero headed over to the pitchside monitor before ruling the goal out.

Vinicius was proving to be a handle for Sevilla's defenders and he nearly grabbed an opener in the 45+2nd minute. The Brazilian superstar forced Nyland into a fine save on the stroke of halftime.

It was Federico Valverde's turn to try and break the deadlock in the 48th minute as Madrid came quickly out of the blocks. The Uruguayan playmaker's effort hit the frame of the goal after linking up with Brahim Diaz.

Sevilla were a threat on the counter and Spanish forward Isaac Romero tested Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin in the 52nd minute. He poked the ball towards goal but the Ukrainian shot-stopper did well to deny him.

Los Blancos had several more opportunities to try and take the lead but it was looking to be somewhat of a frustrating evening. Ancelotti called upon Luka Modric who could be playing his final season with the La Liga giants and the Croat rose to the occasion.

Modric scored a crucial winner for Real Madrid six minutes after coming off the bench. The iconic midfielder skillfully found his way past Boubakary Soumare before lashing home a terrific strike past Nyland.

Ancelotti's men managed to see the game out and claimed all three points. Their mission to dethrone Barca and become La Liga champions is well and truly on course.

But, some fans blew a sigh of relief following tonight's win. One fan alluded to the difficult nature of Madrid's victory:

"That was a tight one."

Another fan made an interesting claim regarding Modric being superior to Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne:

"Luka Modric clears Kelvin De Bruyne and it’s fact."

Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Madrid's vital victory against Sevilla:

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Luka Modric reacts to Real Madrid's win against Sevilla

Luka Modric was thrilled with Real Madrid's win against Sevilla.

It's been a somewhat difficult season for Modric at Real Madrid as he's not been a regular starter. The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner signed a new one-year extension at the start of the season with an expectation of playing a prominent role this season.

However, Modric, 38, has started just 11 of 20 La Liga games, with four assists and bagging his second goal in the league tonight. It was a crucial one as it kept Madrid on course to being crowned champions.

The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder took to X following the win. He posted a snap of himself celebrating with the caption:

"Never give up. HALA MADRID."

Modric will hope to continue having such an impact as we enter the latter stages of the season. This could be his final season with the La Liga giants and reports claim that he's turned down a proposal from Ancelotti to join his backroom staff.