Sevilla blow La Liga title race wide open as Real Madrid lose mental edge to end their air of invincibility

At the third time of asking in the space of 11 days, Sevilla finally got the better of Real Madrid to not only inflict their first defeat in 41 matches, but also blow the La Liga title race wide open. A Sergio Ramos own goal not only sparked jubilant celebrations among the fans inside the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, but also 515 miles away in Barcelona, and the cheers were only magnified when a winning goal followed for the home side six minutes later.

Real manager Zinedine Zidane rued five minutes that cost his side nine months of work, with Sevilla’s two late goals resulting in a five defeat since April 2016 for the European champions. Zidane must have been confident that defeat was not an option when the final minutes approached, with Real 1-0 to the good thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty.

But six minutes later the game had been turned on its head, with a Sergio Ramos own goal quickly followed by a long-range effort from former Manchester City striker Stefan Jovetic.

The defeat hasn’t cost Real their La Liga lead, but they suddenly look vulnerable for the first time this season. This wasn’t a loss in El Clasico, where Barcelona have won four of their last eight meetings, but it was against Sevilla. Jorge Sampaoli’s side remain ahead of the Catalans in the table, and sit just a point behind the league leaders though Zidane’s team have a game in hand.

Had Real beaten Sevilla and taken three points from their game in hand, they would have extended the lead at the top to seven points and retained the air of invincibility that they have created this season. But suddenly Real are vulnerable, and if Sevilla can beat Ronaldo, Ramos and Co, why can’t Barcelona? Why can’t Atletico Madrid?

What will have alarmed Zidane the most is the way his side wilted not physically, but mentally. A goal up with 23 minutes of normal time remaining, the French manager will have expected his side to not only keep a clean sheet to triumph but also push on to build the lead. Instead they sat back, invited pressure from a Sevilla side willing to attack and panicked when the ball moved anywhere near their own area.

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Sampaoli went searching for the equaliser by sending on Jovetic, and when Ramos expertly heading the ball into the net – albeit the wrong one - Sampaoli wanted more. On came Luciano Vietto, and five minutes later Jovetic delivered the goods, his curled effort catching out goalkeeper Keylor Navas in completely the wrong position and his palmed effort only succeeded in pushing the ball into the corner of the net.

Real must rebound quickly with the games coming thick and fast. They return to Copa del Rey action on Wednesday against Celta Vigo in a two-leg affair that culminates next week, with a La Liga encounter against Malaga sandwiched in the middle for good measure. By the time their Champions League resumes, it’s not a guarantee that they will still be top of the Spanish division, although a clash against La Liga basement dwellers Osasuna is certainly a welcome sight ahead of their visit of Napoli to the Santiago Bernabeu.

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After months of plane sailing and more silverware, Zidane now finds a real battle on his hands to ensure the dream of the treble will be realised come the end of the season. April brings league fixtures with Atletico and Barcelona where the title should be decided along with the return fixture with Sevilla in May, but suddenly Real need to start looking short-term to breed long-term success.