Soccer Football - LaLiga - Real Madrid v Sevilla - Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain - December 22, 2024 Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe in action with Sevilla's Lucien Agoume REUTERS/Juan Medina
MADRID (Reuters) -Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe netted the opener and set up another goal as the hosts beat mid-table Sevilla 4-2 on Sunday to move up to second place in LaLiga and close the gap on Atletico Madrid to one point going into the winter break.
Federico Valverde and Rodrygo were also on target for Real, who raced into a 3-0 lead in 34 minutes while Brahim Diaz scored after halftime. Isaac Romero and Dodi Lukebakio scored for Sevilla, who are 12th in the standings.
The victory moved Real to 40 points, two points clear of Barcelona, who are third and have played a game more than the two teams from Madrid.
"I know I can do much more. I have the legs for that," said Mbappe, who struggled after moving to Real in the close season but has scored six goals in his last eight games.
"I think we know each other better, I have joined the team and that changes many things and now the adaptation, as the manager (Carlo Ancelotti) says is over," he added.
"I feel good in the team and we can see on the field that I understand my teammates better and we always play better."
MBAPPE THUNDERBOLT
Mbappe scored with a thunderbolt from outside the box in the 10th minute and before Sevilla could recover Valverde also pulled the trigger from long-range that gave Sevilla goalkeeper Alvaro Fernandez no chance.
Valverde's effort was his fifth goal from outside the box in all competitions for Real this season, which is more than any other player from Europe's top five leagues.
Rodrygo fired home the third in the 34th minute from a cross by Lucas Vazquez but Sevilla scored immediately after kick off when Romero headed in a cross from Juanlu Sanchez.
However, Brahim Diaz restored the home side's three-goal cushion eight minutes after restart when he finished off a clever move after Mbappe and Vazquez combined to set him up.
Sevilla managed to score another consolation when Peque Fernandez found Lukebakio making a run and made an incisive pass for the Belgian midfielder to score at the near post.
The defeat left the visitors in 12th spot on 22 points.
The match also marked the final game of Jesus Navas's career as the Sevilla winger heads into retirement.
The 39-year-old World Cup winner with Spain received a standing ovation from the Bernabeu crowd as well as a guard of honour from both teams before the match.
"I had never seen something like this in my life, in an opposing stadium. It felt like closing the circle," Navas said.
"In the last minutes I was looking at the ground, remembering all the moments lived and the joys."
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)
