Valverde’s screamer steal the headlines as Real Madrid defeat Sevilla 3-1 to extend lead
Real Madrid now sit comfortably at the top of the league, and six points ahead of closest rivals Barcelona.
Real Madrid defeated Sevilla in dominant fashion on Saturday, extending their lead at the summit of La Liga table to six points after a 3-1 win at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The fixture which was preceded by 2018 Bollon d’Or winner Luka Modric ceremoniously presenting the trophy to 2022 winner Karim Benzema, finished off with the La Liga champions extending their winning streak to four straight matches.
Benzema was ruled out of this clash through injury.
Modric open the scoring
Madrid started the game early with Modric put them 1-0 up in the fifth minute with a simple tap-in following Vinicius Junior’s assist.
Visiting Sevilla continued to look blunt despite their efforts to get back into the game, however it was the European champions who dominated the rest of the half.
Before the break, Madrid threatened to double their lead minutes through Modric, however, the Croatian couldn’t get his feet right when found in an almost identical position to the one in which he opened the scoring.
Sevilla respond, but Madrid respond even harder
Sevilla initially continued their struggles after the interval, with ex-Blancos forward Isco cutting an isolated figure as the visitors laboured in their attempts to break the lines.
However, out of nowhere, the they got their goal, and shocked the hosts following Gonzalo Montiel’s delicious pass which set Erik Lamela through on goal.
The ex-Tottenham Hotspur forward made no mistake in making the score line 1-1 as he deliciously rolled the ball past a glum-looking Thibaut Courtois in the 54th minute.
The goal gave the visitors extra impetus, with Isco then smashing a half-volley into the side netting, as Madrid looked shaken in the minutes after the equaliser.
As champions that they were, they found their feet scoring two in a space of three minutes. Firstly, through a deadly counterattack which saw Vinicius pass unselfishly once again, this time for an easy Lucas Vasquez finish, before Federico Valverde grabbed his seventh goal of the campaign with a blasted effort into the top corner from 25 yards to cruelly crush the hopes of Jorge Sampaoli’s side.
