Rodrygo brace helps Real go past Sevilla
MADRID: Rodrygo hit a brace to earn Real Madrid a 2-1 win over Sevilla in La Liga on Saturday, sending his side four points clear of third-place rivals Atletico Madrid.
Madrid were without injured winger Vinicius Junior, who drew global support during the week after he was racially abused by Valencia fans last weekend.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team were also missing injured duo Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio in attack.
Rodrygo was Madrid’s only fit regular starting forward. After Rafa Mir gave the Europa League finalists, who face Roma on Wednesday, the lead, Rodrygo made his chance count with two goals, the first from a free kick.
“It’s hard to choose. They were both nice goals, maybe the second a little bit more but scoring from a free-kick is always special,” Rodrygo told DAZN.
“We always practice them and talk about it before, whoever is the most confident takes it and I took the ball.”
Ancelotti took off Rodrygo with 10 minutes remaining.
“I was a bit annoyed with him because I wanted to score one more, a hat-trick, but it’s OK, he told me that like this we would win,” said Rodrygo.
Sevilla coach Jose Luis Mendilibar rotated many of his usual starting players at a rain-soaked Ramon SanchezPizjuan stadium to prepare for the final against Jose Mourinho’s side.
Mir slammed a rebound into the roof of the net to send Sevilla ahead in the third minute after Bryan Gil’s shot was blocked.
Rodrygo should have equalised but fired off-target when well placed, after good build-up play by Dani Ceballos and Lucas Vazquez.
However, the Brazilian soon pulled Real Madrid level from a free-kick, curling his effort around the wall and into the bottom corner, wrong-footing goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
Mir came close again early in the second half with an effort which whistled narrowly over, before Rodrygo pounced for his second goal.
Set free by Toni Kroos, the Brazilian forward sent Sevilla defender Gonzalo Montiel one way and then the other, before slipping home past Bounou.
It was the Brazilian’s ninth league goal of the season, a campaign in which he has slowly become one of Ancelotti’s most reliable players.
Marcos Acuna was sent off for Sevilla in the final stages for an ugly tackle on Ceballos, leaving his side without much chance of making a comeback.
The red card heated up a previously tranquil match and the players rowed on a couple of occasions during nine minutes of stoppage time, but Los Blancos were eventually able to seal their win.
PROMOTED TEAMS
Granada sealed a swift return to La Liga and clinched Spain’s second division title with a 2-0 win over Leganes.
Las Palmas also booked their place in the top flight next season by holding Alaves to a 0-0 draw on the final weekend of La Liga 2, finishing three points behind Granada.
Levante, third after a late win over Real Oviedo, are in the play-offs along with Alaves, Eibar, and Albacete.