Real Madrid vs Sevilla: Luka Modric Secures Hard-Fought Victory 1-0 in La Liga Showdown
Real Madrid faced a tough battle against Sevilla in a recent La Liga clash, with Luka Modric emerging as the hero in a hard-fought 1-0 victory at the Bernabeu.
Despite a challenging match, Modric’s late goal sealed the win for Carlo Ancelotti’s side, highlighting the resilience of the team.
Real Madrid had to wait until the 81st minute to defeat Sevilla at the Bernabeu, but they certainly did not have the entire game in their hands on Sunday night.
As is so frequently the case, Luka Modric emerged as Carlo Ancelotti’s team’s hero, scoring late to secure a victory that did not always appear certain.
Real Madrid defeated Sevilla 1-0 thanks to a spectacular goal from Luka Modric, moving them eight points clear atop the La Liga rankings.
At the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday, Madrid finally prevailed thanks to a fantastic goal scored by replacement Modric in the 81st minute.
Prior to this, referee Isidro Diaz de Mera Escuderos, who subsequently had to be replaced by the fourth official due to injury, had caused frustration for Carlo Ancelotti’s team by disallowing Lucas Vazquez’s goal in the 10th minute after examining the pitchside monitor.
Even with Madrid’s superiority, Sevilla had the better opportunities on either side of Federico Valverde’s near-post save just after halftime, as Youssef En-Nesyri curled wide and Andriy Lunin masterfully stopped Isaac Romero.
Modric’s heroics were made possible by that save, and Madrid is still on track to win the championship.
In the ninth minute, En-Nesyri connected with Romero’s cross and missed a clear opportunity to put Sevilla ahead.
Madrid appeared to penalize him for his carelessness shortly after, but the referee determined that Nacho had fouled En-Nesyri before to Vazquez pushing the ball home.
Orjan Nyland saved Valverde’s incredible strike, but the real action happened after the break when Madrid’s Uruguayan midfielder struck the crossbar four minutes into the second half.
A barrage of Madrid chances ensued, but the home team had to rely on Lunin to hold him at bay as the Ukrainian produced a sprawling stop to block Romero’s attempt.
Due to an injury to referee Escuderos, the fourth official had to step in. Madrid eventually took control of the game after that, as Modric found enough space to blast a spectacular shot off the right upright from 20 yards out after latching onto a sloppy clearance.
Sevilla attempted to equalize by a header from Kike Salas, but Madrid finally prevailed and cemented their domination at the top of Spain’s league.
TALKING POINT
Although Madrid didn’t quite have a “No Jude Bellingham, no problem” situation, it was maybe appropriate that one of the veteran players filled in for him during a season in which their new star has performed admirably in numerous crucial situations.
Modric performed when it mattered most, yet he is scheduled to go from Real Madrid at the end of the current campaign, leaving behind that renowned number 10 shirt (for what, we wonder). There doesn’t seem to be any way to stop Los Blancos’ title charge, even though Bellingham is scheduled to return shortly.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
LUKA MODRIC (REAL MADRID)
Lunin gets a well-deserved praise, but Modric—who had the game’s sole shot—stole the show with that incredible winner. He completed 20 of his 21 passes (95.2%) and had 30 touches.
After Jorge Molina, Modric became the second-oldest player in La Liga history to score from beyond the box at the age of 38 years and 169 days.
PLAYER RATINGS
Real Madrid: Diaz 7, Rodrygo 6, Mendy 6, Valverde 7, Kroos 6, Tchouameni 6, Diaz 7, Nacho 7, Rudiger 7, Vinicius 7. Modric 9*, Ceballos 6, Rodriguez N/A as substitutes.
Sevilla: Bade 7, Ramos 8, Salas 7, Torres 7, Soumare 6, Sow 6, Ocampos 7, En-Nesyri 6, Romero 6. Nyland 7, Navas 6, Bade 7. Suso 6, Sanchez 6, Veliz 6, Nianzou N/A, Januzaj N/A are the substitutes.
