Vinicius's 15th-minute strike gives Real Madrid 1-0 at Sevilla on their last away trip of the season
Vinícius Júnior scored inside the first quarter-hour at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán on Sunday, and that single moment was enough to give Real Madrid a 1-0 win over Sevilla on their last away trip of a long, dispiriting La Liga season.
The goal arrived in the 15th minute. Brahim Diaz lifted the ball into the box, Kylian Mbappé got it on his chest and laid it back, and Vinícius slid a low right-footed finish into the bottom-right corner. It was a second win in a row for a Madrid side whose season has long since lost its purpose, and a reminder that on the right delivery Vinícius is still the one who tips a tight game.
Madrid had two shots on target all night, and one was enough
For all the territory and pressure, Real Madrid only worked Sevilla's goalkeeper twice. That number undersells how comfortable the visitors looked once they led, but it overstates how easy this should have been. Mbappé had five shots, none on target, and missed two big chances that on another day put the result beyond reach by half-time.
Thibaut Courtois did the work that mattered at the other end. Six saves, including a handful that kept Sevilla from finding the equaliser their pressure occasionally deserved. With one shot on target separating the sides at full-time, his glove work was the difference as much as the Brazilian's finish.
Sevilla still in danger with one to play
The bigger story sits with the hosts. Sevilla sit three points above the bottom three with one round of fixtures remaining, and with as many as seven clubs technically still in trouble, no result is safe for them on the final day. A home defeat to the second-placed side will not derail their math, but it eats into a margin they cannot rebuild.
Real Madrid arrived in Andalusia already aware that Barcelona had wrapped up the title seven days earlier at the Camp Nou, the May 10 defeat that effectively ended their own challenge. What remains for Álvaro Arbeloa's side, now on its second manager since the season began under Xabi Alonso, is form and a final-day fixture to sign off a year most of them would rather forget.
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