'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
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.
#4 Sevilla's defence perhaps underestimated Madrid's firepower
Eduardo Berizzo will walk into the team bus tonight to tired legs and empty hearts. For a team that came to the Bernabeu on the back of a six-game undefeated run, Sevilla's cloak of complacency hardly fit.
Vazquez had a go on goal as early as in the 2nd minute and Rico parried it away for a corner. Then Muriel and Kjaer's collective indecisiveness enabled Nacho to finish from six yards out.
Wave after wave of Madrid attacks blew Sevilla over as they found themselves playing catch up from thereon. Zizou's men were in full flow and Ronaldo kicked on with his affinity for thrashing Sevilla and made sure the papers in Spain bear his photo on the front page for one more day.
There was hardly anything Sevilla could have done about the last 4 goals and the defenders watched on in utter dismay as Ronaldo and crew proved they're leagues above them. The gulf in class in the first half was overwhelming and at one point it even felt like this could become one of those historic net-busting encounters that one set of players will end up having nightmares of.
#3 Zinedine Zidane has to centre in on his midfield choices
This might not exactly be a typical headache situation for Zidane, but a happy problem, nevertheless, is a problem. The Real Madrid manager has a host of talent in midfielders and it is starting to grow into a rather knotty situation.
Real Madrid started without Casemiro as they opted to go with Modric and Kroos in the centre. This meant that Vazquez, Asensio, Benzema and Ronaldo could take over the motoring duties up ahead.
And it worked. But that doesn't mean that it will always work. If this system is to be adopted, then Isco and Casemiro will be cooling their heels in the dugout. Those are two top, top players of unquestionable quality. But you gotta choose your dishes and the plate is only so big.
When Modric plays, Isco sits out and vice versa. Casemiro is a destroyer and Madrid will definitely miss him against the bigger fish when they are unable to sprint the opposition into submission.
Stability yields consistency and it is due to this very reason that even after plundering Berizzo's side, Zidane might not have the best time once he shuts his eyes tonight.
#2 Sevilla bottle their chance to break into the top 4
A win tonight could have taken Sevilla to the 4th spot and helped them close the gap up top. But they were swept aside in dastardly fashion and the picture of the Sevilla players heading into the dressing room during halftime, after conceding five, was not a pretty one.
Sevilla hadn't lost in the last six games. But there is a rather disturbing trend lying blanketed in the details. Their last loss came against Barcelona. If Sevilla are to come into contention for frontpage privileges, they need to show up with singleness of purpose and hack it, or at least show some heart for the sake of it.
You cannot bring training ground tentativeness to the Santiago Bernabeu and expect to walk away unscathed. Moreover, you need to bring your uninhibited and absolute best against likes of Barcelona or Real Madrid or 5-0s will become the norm.
#1 The Ballon d'Or win has jumpstarted Cristiano Ronaldo's motor
Just when the sneers following the Ballon d'Or win were starting to show, Cristiano Ronaldo decided to kick them back to the holes they poked their heads out of. And in what grand fashion!
There is a compilation video of Ronaldo bottling pieces of piss from even six yards out and you couldn't blame one for being sceptical about his ability at present. However, his first goal proved that all he needed was a boost in confidence and the Ballon d'Or win seems to have produced enough dopamine for Ronaldo to trust his astounding skillset.
Ronaldo rushed to the end of an Asensio ball and steadied himself with the calmness of a serial killer before castling Rico and disturbing the peace of his sticks.
The spot kick wasn't as convincing but Zidane and the Madrid fans can be as pleased as punch owing to the fact that it was the Portuguese wizard who stole the ball from Sevilla in the middle of the park to kickstart two attacks that led to their 4th and 5th goals.
The hunger is back, the calmness is back... well I'll just say it, Cristiano Ronaldo is back.
