Karim Benzema once again came to Real Madrid’s aid just in time to help them beat Sevilla away from home and move close to another La Liga crown.
Benzema scored in the dying moments of a thrilling game to seal a 3-2 win for his side after the LaLiga leaders had gone two goals down in the first half.
First-half goals from Ivan Rakitic and Erik Lamela set the hosts on their way, but Rodrygo, Nacho, and Benzema scored in the second half to hand Carlo Ancelotti’s side an unlikely win.
The result puts presumptive LaLiga champions Real Madrid 15 points ahead of second-placed Barcelona, who have two games in hand while Los Blancos only have six matches left to contend.
Sevilla dominated the first half but were a no-show after the break in a match that was marked by several controversial decisions by referee Guillermo Cuadra.
His decision not to Eduardo Camavinga a second yellow card for a foul on Martial and disallowing Vinicius Junior’s equalizer for Real in the 78th minute became a sour spot after the game.
During the game, however, Sevilla got in front early in the first half after two mistakes from Real defender Eder Militao in a four-minute span.
First, Rakitic fired a freekick through the Real wall to open the scoring in the 21st after Militao left a gaping hole and four minutes later the Brazilian let Jesus Corona run behind the defense to cross for the unmarked Lamela to make it 2-0.
After Camavinga’s close call for fouling Martial, Ancelotti brought off the French midfielder at the break for Rodrygo.
The Brazilian changed the complexion of the game by scoring Real’s first goal five minutes into the second half.
He also started the move that ended with fellow substitute Nacho netting the second in the 82nd minute and 10 minutes later crossed the ball for LaLiga’s top scorer Benzema to fire home the winner.
The Frech striker has made a habit of rescuing Real Madrid this season firing them to the top of La Liga and spearheading their Champions League campaign.
It was Benzema’s 25th goal this season, his best tally in a single league campaign in his Real career surpassing the 24-goal mark set in the 2015-16 season.
Sevilla’s hopes of an unlikely LaLiga title are officially over with Julen Lopetegui’s side in third place behind Barcelona after 32 games.
