Sevilla faced Real Madrid at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan this afternoon with the opportunity to leapfrog their visitors into the top four with a victory.
It didn’t happen. Instead, an error from Sevilla goalkeeper Bono gifted Madrid a valuable 1-0 victory and three points on the road in what’s been a difficult period for both clubs.
Both suffered humiliation in the Champions League during the week. Sevilla got hammered 4-0 at home by Chelsea while Madrid lost 2-0 to Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine.
Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has come under significant pressure in recent weeks, with many questioning his decision making and his leadership of the team.
Los Blancos very nearly got off to a cracking start, however, with Brazilian winger Vinicius coming incredibly close to finding an opener inside ten minutes.
Bono mishandled a loose ball which dropped right in front of Vinicius, only for the youngster to completely miss it and allow it to bounce back up for Bono to claim.
Just shy of the hour mark, Vinicius and Bono clashed once again, but this time Bono paid for his error. Vinicius met an accurate centre to direct it toward goal, only for Bono to mishandle the effort and see it spin behind him to give Madrid the lead.
The result takes Madrid above Villarreal into third, just three points behind city rivals Atletico Madrid. Los Rojiblancos do, however, have two games in hand. Sevilla remain fifth, four points shy of a Champions League spot.
Featured image courtesy of Real Madrid CF.
