Real Madrid stretched their lead at the top of La Liga to six points by overcoming Sevilla 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, extending their winning run to four straight league victories.Minutes before kick-off, Luka Modrić ceremoniously presented the Ballon d’Or trophy to Karim Benzema, who was ruled out of this clash through injury, in front of the adoring Madrid faithful. The Croatian would then impact the game just minutes in, finishing off a superb team move like the Frenchman so often has, as Vinícius Júnior drove at the Andalusians’ defence before deftly squaring across to the midfielder for a simple tap-in.Considering Real haven’t lost a home contest versus Sevilla since 2008, few would have blamed the visitors for going into their shells, particularly as it appeared the European champions were ready to produce another champagne performance in the Spanish capital. And although a blunt-looking Sevilla would manage to ride out the first-half storm with just a one-goal deficit, Real threatened to double their lead minutes before the break through Modrić, who couldn’t get his feet right when found in an almost identical position to the one in which he opened the scoring.MODRIC AND ZIDANE GIVING BENZEMA THE BALLON D’OR 😭🤍 pic.twitter.com/rse68s828k— Ele (@EleModric) October 22, 2022 Sevilla, who have scored just three goals after halftime in La Liga this term, 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 Sevillistas Rojiblancos shocked the hosts following Gonzalo Montiel’s delicious pass which set Érik Lamela through on goal. The ex-Tottenham Hotspur forward’s finish didn’t disappoint either, as he rolled the ball past a glum-looking Thibaut Courtois to level the scores.The goal gave the visitors extra impetus, with Isco then smashing a half-volley into the side netting, as Real looked uncharacteristically shaken in the minutes after the equaliser. This set up an intriguing finale, though a weary Sevilla eventually lost some of that earlier momentum and, with white shirts descending, their dams threatened to burst.And burst they did, firstly through a deadly Real counterattack which saw Vinícius pass unselfishly once again, this time for an easy Lucas Vázquez 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 charges late on.LA LIGA – ROUND 11SaturdayRayo Vallecano – Cadiz 5-1 (2-0)/Palazon 44, Garcia 45+1, Lejeune 63, 89, Camello 79, – Balliu 72 og/Valladolid – Sociedad 1-0 (1-0)/Leon 16/Valencia – Mallorca 1-2 (0-0)/Cavani 52 pen – Muriqi 66 pen, Lee Kang-in 83/Real Madrid – Sevilla 3-1 (1-0)/Modric 5, Vasquez 79, Valverde – Lamela 54/Sunday15:00: (1.79) Espanyol (3.70) Elche (5.40)17:15: (3.25) Betis (3.10) Atl.Madrid (2.55)19:30: (2.70) Girona (3.10) Osasuna (3.00)19:30: (1.42) Villareal (4.70) Almeria (8.50)22:00: (1.62) Barcelona (4.00) Ath.Bilbao (6.00)Monday22:00: (1.84) Celta (3.60) Getafe (5.20)***odds are subject to change***©FlashScore
