Real must pick themselves up

– Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane (above) urged his side to put their disappointment of a first defeat in 40 games behind them as Sevilla produced a remarkable late turnaround to breathe new life into the Spanish title race with a 2-1 win on Sunday.

Zidane’s men looked set to extend their commanding lead at the top of the table when Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring at the Sanchez Pizjuan from the penalty spot midway through the second-half. However, Real captain Sergio Ramos delighted the home fans by heading into his own net on his return to his former club.

And substitute Stefan Jovetic curled home a dramatic stoppage time winner on his La Liga debut as Sevilla closed to within a point of Real. Victory also takes Sevilla a point above Barcelona into second, but Madrid still have a game in hand on both.

“I have to be very proud of them all for what we have done until now,” Zidane told BeIN Sports Spain. “We know this was going to happen some day, it is today, and now we have to continue working hard in all competitions.”

Ramos received an even more hostile reception than normal in Seville after goading the ultras section of the home support in scoring a late penalty in a 3-3 draw in the Copa del Rey between the sides as Real progressed 6-3 on aggregate on Thursday. – AFP

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