XtraTime Web Desk: On the day when Leo Messi’s FC Barcelona got stunned by minnows Leganes, Real Madrid suffered the first La Liga defeat of Julen Lopetegui’s reign on Wednesday, as they were comprehensively beaten 3-0 by Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
Lopetegui’s side was hoping to make the most of Barcelona’s loss at Leganes earlier in the day, but was taken apart by Pablo Machin’s Sevilla and rarely looked like clawing its way back.
Madrid had no answer to the hosts in the first half, with a Silva brace and Wissam Ben Yedder volley leaving Los Blancos stunned at the interval.
Any chance of a comeback appeared to vanish early in the second half when a goal from Luka Modric – named the Best FIFA Men’s Player on Monday – was correctly disallowed by VAR, and Sevilla was ultimately good value for the win.
Madrid struggled to cope with Sevilla’s intensity and the hosts deservedly went ahead 17 minutes in – Pablo Sarabia releasing Jesus Navas after intercepting Marcelo’s wayward pass and the winger teed up Silva for a simple finish.
Navas was vital to Sevilla’s second four minutes later, devastating Madrid on the break before Thibaut Courtois parried his shot right to the lethal Silva.
Gareth Bale and Franco Vazquez were thwarted by the frame of the goal before the half-hour mark, but Ben Yedder was not denied when he slammed Vazquez’s header into the top-left corner six minutes before the break.
Madrid stepped things up after half-time, but VAR prevented Modric from pulling one back and Sevilla almost capitalised, only for Bale to block Guilherme Arana’s six-yard effort.
Bale was kept out by a fine save from Tomas Vaclik when one-on-one just after the hour mark, and Modric was withdrawn as Lopetegui looked to avoid further damage ahead of El Derbi.