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Sevilla 2-1 Real Madrid:Real Madrid lose just their second away match to a Sevilla squad still undefeated at home

Electricity was in the air in Sevilla. Second against third, and both sides eager to find out what was happening hundreds of kilometres away in Barcelona. But there was news to be made at the Sánchez Pizjuán as well. Ronaldo and Van Nistelrooy would be sharing duties in attack. It was the first time both killers started a match all season. Fabio Capello lay his cards on the table from the get go. David Beckham got his fourth start of the season to become the Englishman with the most matches played in the Spanish League (104), while Guti also made his return after missing two matches to injury. All that remained to be seen was whether the Italian coach would play a 4-4-2 or his typical 4-2-3-1, which might prove difficult with the absence of Mahamadou Diarra.

It didn't take long to figure out what formation Capello had opted for. There were still remains of the giant mosaic that the Sevillista fans formed in the stands of the Pizjuán when the midfield line of four stood out. Beckham and Raúl positioned themselves along the wings with Emerson and Guti steering the ship from the centre of the pitch. Standing fast, Real Madrid withstood the rapid start by the home side without any real concern, except for the break-away along the left flank by Adriano (6').

There were only two solutions for the Madridista squad to stop the ongoing Andalusion threat: maintain possession and touch the ball. At first, the football mostly found a Sergio Ramos who had to brush off all the jeers from the local fans who still haven't forgiven him for leaving. There had been no shots in the first ten minutes, but the game started to bubble and Beckham proved he's still got it by putting the Whites ahead with a free kick from outside the Sevilla box. It was a wonderful strike by the Englishman, who whipped it right over Palop and into the far corner of the net (12').

Sevillista equaliser
It was the perfect setting. Real Madrid had weathered the storm and had the lead. But this Sevilla squad is undefeated at home for a reason. In what initially looked like an innocent play, Luis Fabiano's left-footed cannon struck the crossbar. The ricochet fell at the feet of Kanouté, who put the ball past Iker's right side to level the match. Two shots on goal -one for each side- and two scores.


Madrid were the better team during the latter half of the first 45 minutes. The team looked to Guti to create in the midfield as he received one knock after another. As the pace slowed after such an intense 15 minutes, the Whites began taking advantage of their forwards' mobility and ability to lose their marker. In the 20th minute, Madrid found themselves on the counterattack, and Raúl was through with only the keeper to beat, but Ronaldo found Roberto Carlos on the left, and the defender got off a poor shot that Palop saved. Five minutes later, Ronaldo showed good, patient build-up, but was disappointed by the lack of accuracy that saw his shot sail wide.

The best chances of taking the lead came in the 35th minute, when Roberto Carlos hit the outside of the post -great burst of speed by the 33-year old-, and in the 42nd, when Beckham unexpectedly drilled a low free kick from the same spot the first goal came from. Meanwhile, Sevilla failed to knock in a cross-shot by Adriano. Pinned on their side of the pitch, the Sevillistas gave a last ditch effort with the 12th man really behind them, but Muñiz Fernández blew the whistle to bring the first half to a close.


Scintillating second half
After a cracking first half, Real Madrid made one change before taking the pitch after the break. Salgado had been booked in the 42nd minute and was replaced by Álvaro Mejía, who took over as a centre back while Sergio Ramos covered the right flank.

Sevilla maintained their pressure, and Jesús Navas and Alves tried their luck but never really tested Iker's reflexes. The Whites tried to answer back with a Van Nistelrooy header, but to no avail. It wasn't a tidy first ten minutes and the game was there for the taking by either side.

The Madridistas had several more chances. A surprised Cannavaro found the ball at his feet and would have been left alone in front of Palop had he controlled the ball (58'). Minutes later, Ruud Van Nistelrooy linked up perfectly with Ronaldo. The Brazilian was one-on-one with the keeper, but Palop did well to keep his eye on the ball to save it.


Both coaches needed fresh legs and fresh ideas on the pitch. Robinho came in for Ronie, and shortly after, Beckham came inches away from giving Madrid the lead. It was almost his second brace against Sevilla in as many seasons. With minutes ticking off the clock, it looked like both sides would settle for sharing the points.

Madrid's pace slowed with Ronie out, and Sevilla again tried to protect their proud home record. Unfortunately for the Whites, they were successful. The ball sat up perfectly for Chevantón off a cross, and the Uruguayan showed great agility to get it by Casillas. It was 2-1 with 15 minutes to play. Capello substituted Guti for Reyes, but Sevilla didn't give way. Real Madrid leave the Sánchez Pizjuán with their third loss of the season and no longer in possession of the second spot in the table.






Match report by Santiago Siguero
Photos by Daniel Sastre
Special correspondents to Sevilla
Translation by Matthew Goltz

posted by khalidmrrakchi@hotmail.com @ 2:06 PM