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Zinedine Zidane praised his team during the first half of the match in Kiev against Shakhtar. But the criticism did not abate, so Zidane had to answer questions that only sound in critical situations: about resignation, about falls, about immunity. Zidane’s words and appearance radiate confidence, but only results on the field can clean up the reputation. The French were given two fights: defeating Sevilla in La Liga and Borussia M in the Champions League. Otherwise, there may be a waiver.
The pupils are ready to fight for their coach. Sergio Ramos organized a team meeting the day before and, along with other team leaders, called on the partners to lay down with bones in these fights. Sergio knew what he was talking about. But I couldn’t prove it with my own example, the injury didn’t allow me to play today.
However, the “Real” and without Ramos entered the field with the attitude that a championship contender should have. Already in the first minute Vinicius could have scored, but the angle for the shot was too sharp. Five minutes later, Benzema almost took advantage of Bunu’s mistake: the goalkeeper miraculously removed the threat from his goal.
Lopetegui’s team looked heavy before the break. Psychological fatigue or emotional exhaustion is not worth talking about. This is more a matter of functional readiness. Sevilla’s style provides energy-intensive football, the team often scoring decisive goals in the closing minutes. But in games, when you have to work a lot without the ball, there is not enough freshness to press.
“Real” perked up and in the middle of the first half exploded with a punch from Kroos – a bit inaccurate. But Benzema missed an even better opportunity at the end of 45 minutes. Bunu rehabbed from past mistakes by shooting a difficult ball.
“Sevilla” from the moment Luc de Jong started the second half, such a convenient chance to score for the Nervians before the break was not. It looked like the hosts would fix the game, but it broke where it was thin. Bunu made several mistakes in the first half, but was not punished for it. At minute 55, he was not considered to have come out of the water dry. Mendy shot from the wing, Vinicius hooked the ball with the tip and caused Boone’s mistake. A projectile from the goalkeeper’s hands flew into the net.
Pretty quickly after that, “Real” was rebuilt to play behind the ball line, all for the sake of the result. Of the dangerous moments after the goal, only Vinicius’s attempt to escape on a counterattack can be noted. Sevilla had more, but not enough to speak of the injustice of the final result: Kunde shot, Godel foul, Ocampos shot with a corner kick, nothing surprising for Courtois. The last potential opportunity for Sevilla is the fall of Fernando in the area after being touched by Lucas Vásquez. But without penalty.
“Real” played pragmatically, spending as much effort to win as necessary. But Sevilla played below their capabilities. Tired, burned out, or maybe unprepared? Zidane doesn’t care. Now only Borussia Mönchengladbach matters to him.
Seville. Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium
Sevilla 0-1 Real Madrid
Objective: Yassin Bunu 55 (aut.)
Seville: Yassine Bunu, Lucas Ocampos, Ivan Rakitic (Youssef En-Nesiri 64), Jules Coundé, Jesus Navas, Aleish Vidal, Munir El Haddadi (Oliver Torres 46), Luc de Jong (Suso 64), Diego Carlos (Ossama Idrissi 80), Joan Jordan (Nemanja Goodel 64), Fernando Francisco Reges
“Real”: Thibaut Courtois, Rafael Varane, Jose Ignacio Nacho, Tony Kroos, Karim Benzema, Carlos Casemiro, Lucas Vazquez, Luca Modric, Ferlan Mendi, Rodrigo Silva (Marco Asensio 66), Vinicius Junior
Warnings: Nemanja Goodell 76 – Tony Kroos 44, Luka Modric 60, Vinicius Junior 89
