Cristiano Ronaldo celebrated his fifth Ballon d’Or award with a brace as Real Madrid swept past Sevilla 5-0 following a blistering first-half display at the Bernabeu.
Nacho fired the home side ahead after just three minutes, with Ronaldo, who collected the prestigious accolade in Paris on Thursday, slotting home a second before adding another from the penalty spot in the 30th minute.
Toni Kroos finished off an excellent team move to make it 4-0 before teenage defender Achraf Hakimi grabbed his first senior goal on 43 minutes to leave Sevilla stunned before half-time.
What they said
? FT: #RealMadrid 5-0 @SevillaFC (@nachofi1990 3′, @Cristiano 23′, 31′; @ToniKroos 38′, @AchrafHakimi 42′).#RMLiga | #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/ASeLCnqtUU
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) December 9, 2017
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane: “We can be very pleased because putting five past Sevilla was no mean feat. It was a very complete performance.”
Sevilla assistant coach Ernesto Marcucci: “Losing here is not the end of the world, but the way it happened perhaps bothers more than anything.”
Tweet of the match
? WOW! What a 45 minutes at the Bernabéu!#RealMadrid 5-0 @SevillaFC_ENG pic.twitter.com/IE1frmeOZF
— Real Madrid C.F.?? (@realmadriden) December 9, 2017
Star man – Cristiano Ronaldo
????? #CRI5TIANO@Cristiano showcased his fifth Ballon d’Or to the Bernabéu ahead of kick-off! pic.twitter.com/ZcHpf7zaaz
— Real Madrid C.F.?? (@realmadriden) December 9, 2017
Ronaldo had taken centre stage before kick-off as he showed his five Ballon d’Or trophies to the home crowd. The Portugal forward did not disappoint the Bernabeu faithful as he scored twice and had a hand in another two as Sevilla were stunned by a superb opening 45 minutes.
Moment of the match
⏱2️⃣✅ #RMLigaAfter a whirlwind first half we’re back underway for the second 45 minutes!#RealMadrid 5-0 @SevillaFC_ENG#HALAMADRID! pic.twitter.com/nYJC4WW0id
— Real Madrid C.F.?? (@realmadriden) December 9, 2017
Kroos’ goal after 38 minutes was the pick of the bunch. Ronaldo won the ball back in his own half, before setting the German off on a surging run. The ball was laid out to Lucas Vazquez on the right, and his perfectly-weighted past was dispatched first-time by a side-foot finish from Kroos.
Stat attack
?7️⃣ @Cristiano 7️⃣?#RealMadridSevillaFC pic.twitter.com/uZVi1XlH1n
— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) December 9, 2017
Ronaldo has now scored 25 goals in 15 LaLiga games against Sevilla – which is more than versus any other team.
Player ratings
? Here’s our starting XI to face @SevillaFC_ENG! ?#RMMovistar | #RMLiga pic.twitter.com/Vo8VuNJiet
— Real Madrid C.F.?? (@realmadriden) December 9, 2017
Real Madrid:Keylor Navas 7 (out of 10), Achraf Hakimi 7, Jesus Vallejo 7, Fernandez Nacho 7, Marcelo 7, Lucas Vazquez 7, Toni Kroos 8, Luka Modric 7, Marco Asensio 7, Karim Benzema 7, Cristiano Ronaldo 9. Subs: Marcos Llorente (for Kroos, 62) 7, Dani Ceballos (for Modric, 71) 6, Isco (for Ronaldo, 76) 6
Sevilla: Sergio Rico 5 (out of 10), Gabriel Mercado 5, Simon Kjaer 4, Clement Lenglet 5, Lionel Carole 5, Ever Banega 5, Guido Pizarro 5, Franco Vazquez 5, Jesus Navas 5, Luis Muriel 4, Manuel Nolito 5. Subs: Pablo Sarabia (for Nolito, 57) 5, Johannes Geis (for Vazquez, 71) 5, Michael Krohn-Dehli (for Banega, 81) 5
Who’s up next?
Al-Jazira v Real Madrid (FIFA Club World Cup, December 13)
Sevillav Levante (LaLiga, December 15)
