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Under the floodlights of the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Real Madrid locked horns with Sevilla in gameweek 14 of La Liga on Sunday night. Third-placed Sevilla started the game only a point adrift of league leaders Real Madrid. A win would have propelled them to the top of the standings at the end of the matchday.
As expected, Julen Lopetegui’s men started the game on the front foot and outplayed Real Madrid on every front. Their effort came to fruition in the 12th minute, when an unmarked Rafa Mir thumped the ball past Thibaut Courtois from a corner.
Sevilla kept coming at Los Blancos for the remainder of the half, but Madrid somehow managed to score a goal against the run of play. Sevilla keeper Yassine Bounou made a mess of a long-range effort to hand Karim Benzema a tap-in from point-blank range.
Real Madrid started the second half with more focus and matched Sevilla punch-for-punch. However, their winner did not come until the 87th minute. Man of the moment Vinicius Jr. scored the best goal of La Liga gameweek 14 to seal maximum points for the hosts.
Despite not being at their ruthless best, Real Madrid produced the result they needed to extend their lead at the summit. Here are the top five players who helped Real Madrid bag three huge points against a spirited Sevilla side on Sunday:
#5 Ferland Mendy
With David Alaba deployed as a centre-back, Carlo Ancelotti put Ferland Mendy on the team-sheet as the designated left-back.
Mendy put on an impressive showing against Sevilla, proving once again why he is the team’s first choice left-back ahead of Marcelo.
Defensively, Mendy was as solid as you would expect, winning nine duels out of 12. Offensively, he was even more impressive. His runs were difficult to track, with the Frenchman completing six of his eight attempted dribbles.
#4 Karim Benzema
Real Madrid’s leading goalscorer Karim Benzema was not at his best on Sunday. But that did not stop him from coming up with the equalizer for Real Madrid.
Sevilla did well to keep a lid on the player for most of the match, but Bounou’s mistake was enough to undo all their efforts.
In the 32nd minute, Bounou failed to handle an optimistic effort by Eder Militao, spilling it into a dangerous position. The 33-year-old was the quickest to react and slotted it home from close range.
The strike marked Benzema’s 11th goal in La Liga this season, putting him firmly in the driving seat of the Pichichi race.
#3 Thibaut Courtois
Real Madrid got a lot of flak when they signed Thibaut Courtois from Chelsea in the summer of 2018. With Keylor Navas still firing on all cylinders, Courtois was deemed an excess.
Lacking confidence, the Belgian produced one sub-par performance after another, only strengthening the case of his doubters.
Since the disastrous debut season, Courtois has firmly established himself as a fan favorite at Real Madrid. He has produced invaluable saves time and again over the course of his stint, and the outing against Sevilla was no exception.
In the 12th minute, Courtois was caught off-guard by a thumping header by Rafa Mir, but he did not let it shake his confidence. He produced four impressive saves over the course of the match, all of them coming from inside the box.
The final save he pulled off in the 93rd minute was the best of the bunch and guaranteed maximum points for Real Madrid on Sunday.
#2 Vinicius Jr.
Real Madrid’s unshakable faith in Vinicius Junior is finally paying off, with the Brazilian youngster producing match-winning performances at will.
Knowing how brilliant he has been lately, Julen Lopetegui paid special attention to Vinicius on Sunday, which made his life a little difficult.
The left-winger struggled to evade challenges and was dispossessed 15 times. Fortunately for Real Madrid, even Sevilla’s best efforts were not enough to stop Vinicius from producing a moment of genius in the 87th minute.
Vinicius Jr. chested down Eder Militao’s perfect long-ball on the left flank and cut inside, forcing Lucas Ocampos to back peddle. He continued his horizontal run, which was surprisingly left unchecked by Sevilla defenders. He finally put his boot through and hit the top-right corner of Sevilla’s goal from well outside the area.
Following his winner, Vinicius Jr. now has nine goals in La Liga this season, a tally only bettered by his teammate Karim Benzema.
#1 Eder Militao
Real Madrid centre-back Eder Militao was the Man of the Match against Sevilla and deservedly so. He was partially at fault for Sevilla’s 12th-minute opener, but made vital contributions to both of Real Madrid’s goals.
Having completed seven clearances, performed three interceptions and won six duels, Militao was a rock at the back for Real Madrid. He also gave three key passes, had one shot on target, which led to Benzema’s goal, and assisted Vincius’ 87th-minute winner.
Producing such a complete, brilliant display against a team as versatile as Sevilla is no joke. Yet Militao managed it without hardly ever breaking a sweat.
