MADRID: Real Madrid started without their top scorer, captain and record signing on Saturday but claimed a scrappy 2-1 win over Sevilla that sent them above Barcelona and top of La Liga. His first double as a Real player proved the difference amid a three-goal flurry in the second half, during which Luuk de Jong had briefly pulled Sevilla level. “Two goals for him is very unusual,” said Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane. “Only because of that.”Lopetegui was back at the Santiago Bernabeu for the first time since he was sacked by Real last season, 138 days after they appointed him. Sergio Reguilon, bought by Sevilla from Real Madrid last year, scuffed his clearance and after Casemiro muscled through on the edge of the area, Luka Jovic found him again with a deft backheel.

Source: New Strait Times January 18, 2020 22:18 UTC