Red-Hot Benzema Rescues Real Madrid With Slim Win Away At Sevilla
23rd September 2019
Sevilla's newly-installed coach Julen Lopetegui was sacked by Madrid 11 months ago, 139 days after taking the job that cost him the chance to lead Spain at the World Cup
- Real Madrid eased the pressure on Zinedine Zidane and delivered a resounding response to their loss to Paris Saint-Germain by winning 1-0 away at high-flying Sevilla in La Liga on Sunday
- Karim Benzema headed in the decisive goal at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan to secure an impressive victory against a Sevilla side that were unbeaten and hoping to return to the top of the table
- Zidane was asked about his own future as well, several times, and while he maintained he still feels the full backing of the club, there was a warning too. If support dwindles, he said, "then it would probably be best to leave"
MADRID, Spain- Real
Madrid eased the pressure on Zinedine Zidane and delivered a resounding
response to their loss to Paris Saint-Germain by winning 1-0 away at
high-flying Sevilla in La Liga on Sunday.
Karim Benzema headed in the decisive goal at the Ramon
Sanchez Pizjuan to secure an impressive victory against a Sevilla side that
were unbeaten and hoping to return to the top of the table.
Instead, it is Madrid that go level on points with Athletic
Bilbao in first place after a controlled and determined performance that was by
some distance their best since Zidane's return as coach in March.
"We have had a quite difficult time but the players
reacted," Zidane said.
His position had come under scrutiny after Madrid's woeful
3-0 defeat by PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday, a result that continued
their bumpy start to the season, following a turbulent summer in the transfer
market.
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But this win should do wonders for belief and leaves
Barcelona as Spain's chief club in crisis, with Ernesto Valverde under pressure
after they were beaten 2-0 by Granada on Saturday. Madrid are now four points
clear of the Catalans after five games played.
"I am very happy as people have been questioning us a
lot," said Zidane. "But we don't think much about that. We played 90
minutes at a very high level in a difficult stadium. We must congratulate all
the players."
Not for the first time this season, Zidane singled out
Gareth Bale for praise. "Today hard work was the key," he said.
"The effort made by James, Gareth, all of them."
Sevilla's newly-installed coach Julen Lopetegui was sacked
by Madrid 11 months ago, 139 days after taking the job that cost him the chance
to lead Spain at the World Cup.
He insisted on Saturday there was no desire for revenge but
it is hard to imagine victory would not have brought a little extra
satisfaction.
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Zidane was asked about his own future as well, several
times, and while he maintained he still feels the full backing of the club,
there was a warning too. If support dwindles, he said, "then it would
probably be best to leave".
But for all the problems -- a dreadful pre-season, signings
and sales missed, poor performances against Real Valladolid, Villarreal,
Levante and PSG -- Madrid now sit second, buoyed by a display that may yet
prove a springboard for games to come.
A frantic opening half an hour made for an engrossing
contest but there were few chances, as Lopetegui earned himself a booking for
beckoning Gareth Bale to be shown a yellow card.
Real Madrid probably just shaded the first period and had
its two best chances as Eden Hazard was slipped in by Benzema, only to be
denied by Tomas Vaclik on the angle, before Dani Carvajal was sent clear by
James Rodriguez but this time Vaclik's right foot blocked the defender's
finish.