Madrid beat Sevilla

Real Madrid started without their top scorer, captain and record signing on Saturday but claimed a scrappy 2-1 win over Sevilla. Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Eden Hazard were all absent at the Santiago Bernabeu but Casemiro stepped up in their place. His first double as a Real player proved the difference amid a three-goal flurry in the second half, during which Luuk de Jong had briefly pulled Sevilla level. “Two goals for him is very unusual,” said Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane. His team were largely underwhelming, at times reverting to the stodgy days of last season when they struggled for goals under Julen Lopetegui, who was this time in the dug-out of Sevilla.Yet given those missing, the opposition and the performance, this might be the kind of victory that could prove crucial to Madrid winning the title in May. “It makes the win even more important,” said Zidane. “It's only three points but we needed them and we got them by suffering.”Setien has said he will not be satisfied if his team win while playing badly, but Zidane is likely to be less choosy. His side are now 17 games unbeaten, a streak that included them winning the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia last weekend. Ramos, who is still recovering from an ankle injury, paraded the club's latest trophy on the pitch before kick-off.Benzema came on in the second half after shaking off a dead leg but Ramos and Hazard need more time to recover.Gareth Bale was not even in the squad, despite training on Friday. Bale missed the trip to Jeddah through illness. “He picked up a knock the other day,” said Zidane. “Only because of that.”Lopetegui was back at the Santiago Bernabeu for the first time since he was sacked by Real last season, 138 days after they appointed him.“I haven't even stopped to think about it,” Lopetegui said. “The only emotion I wanted to feel is to win here.” His Sevilla side arguably deserved more too but converting impetus into goals has been their problem all season, and so it proved again.NAMPA/AFP

Madrid beat Sevilla

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

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Madrid beat Sevilla

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Namibian Sun 2025-07-01

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