Real Madrid win at Sevilla to ease pressure on Zinedine Zidane

Vinicius Junior forced an own goal from Sevilla goalkeeper Bono as Real Madrid eased the pressure on Zinedine Zidane with a 1-0 win at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

The Spanish champions came into this match on the back of successive defeats to Alaves and Shakhtar Donetsk, heaping the pressure on Zidane who is widely seen to be fighting for his job at the Santiago Bernabeu.

An uneventful first half faded after Vinicius Junior came close to opening the scoring in the first minute, with Rodrygo finding his countryman with a pass inside. Vinicius struck across the face of goal and inches wide of the far post.

Sevilla started the second half well following the introduction of Oliver Torres, but Real Madrid took the lead against the run of play, with Vinicius stretching to get on the end of a Ferland Mendy cross, forcing the mistake from Bono.

The result lifts Real Madrid up to third in the La Liga table and sets Zidane’s side up well for the crunch Champions League clash against Borussia Monchengladbach and next weekend’s Madrid derby.

Such was the pressure on Zidane, defeat here may well have spelled the end for him as Real Madrid manager. This is the most critical week of the Frenchman’s managerial career, with a crunch Champions League clash against Borussia Monchengladbach coming next week followed by a Madrid derby. Zidane must aim for three wins to save his skin at the Santiago Bernabeu. He has one. Now for the next two.

He is frustrating to watch at times and frequently makes the wrong decision, but Vinicius makes things happen for Real Madrid and that’s what he did here. The Brazilian winger is unpolished and needs to refine his game. However, it was his involvement that forced the winning goal off Sevilla goalkeeper Bono. With Karim Benzema struggling for service, it was Vinicius who gave the away side the attacking spark they needed to claim all three points at one of La Liga’s toughest venues.

Sevilla - Bono 3, Navas 6, Kounde 6, Carlos 6, Vidal 5, Fernando 5, Jordan 6, Rakitic 5, Ocampos 6, De Jong 4, Munir 4. Subs - Torres 7, Gudelj 6, Idrissi 5, En Nesyri 5.

Real Madrid - Courtois 5, Vazquez 6, Varane 6, Nacho 7, Mendy 7, Modric 7, Casemiro 6, Kroos 6, Rodrygo 6, Benzema 5, Vinicius 7. Subs - Asensio 4.

1’ Across the face! So close to being an early opener for Real Madrid! Rodrygo slots the pass into Vinicius, he controls and smashes a shot at goal. His effort flashes right across the face of goal!

55’ GOAL! Sevilla 0-1 Real Madrid: Real Madrid have taken the lead against the run of play! Benzema sprays the play out to the wing, the cross is played into the box by Mendy and Vinicius stretches to bundle the ball into the back of the Sevilla net! Very poor goalkeeping! It might even have been an own goal from Bono!

Real Madrid have won back-to-back league games away to Sevilla for the first time since 2011 and only the second time since 2003.

The last Sevilla goalkeeper to score an own goal in La Liga was Monchi, now the club’s sporting director, in 1991.