Real Madrid, current champion, paid tribute to the figure of Jesús Navas, who said goodbye to football at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, and gave it to himself with his best game in an overwhelming first half, to score to a weak Sevilla and follow the pace set by Atlético de Madrid.
What could have appeared to be a complex match for Real Madrid, with a hangover from the Intercontinental, wear and tear from a long trip and little preparation, was turned into a peaceful afternoon by Mbappé and Fede Valverde with two long shots in just twenty minutes. The plan of an armed Sevilla, with the intention of generating an imbalance in speed on the counterattack, collapsed due to its lack of defensive forcefulness.
The emotion was still felt in a gesture full of lordship of Real Madrid fans with Jesús Navas. Legend of Spanish football whom the Santiago Bernabéu said goodbye standing. With a hall and eternal ovation to one of those footballers who leave a legacy in their club and are an example in every stadium he has set foot in in two decades. Loved by everyone, he lived his last day on a stage worthy of him after the emotion of saying goodbye to Sánchez-Pizjuán.
But Real Madrid was not one for romanticism. The need to follow the pace that Atlético de Madrid demands. The opportunity to mark the distance against Barcelona due to its bad league moment. Without Vinícius, now, with the confidence he exhibits as he gets closer to his true identity every day, Mbappé was decisive. It was reaching the 10th minute when in the central lane, with too much space and without a close mark, he broke free from the center backs to receive and release a shot from 25 meters straight into the top corner.
García Pimienta’s plan soon collapsed, and he could even be sentenced seconds later when Mbappé forgave the second, defining Lucas Vázquez’s perfect pass. The doubts that he generated as a substitute for Carvajal on the big days, with defeats at the time of Real Madrid’s irregularity, were buried by the full-back being a dagger on the right side. On the other hand, Camavinga was new with the two pure left-handers, Fran García and Mendy, on the bench.
And the first time Sevilla showed its head in attack, it was harshly punished. From a center that was poisoned by Idumbo and brought up by Courtois, he began to stagger, when Kike Salas saved a shot from Lucas Vázquez in the 9 zone, and fell to the canvas seconds later. From the corner kick and a rehearsed action, with a back pass from Camavinga and a right hand that was as distant as it was powerful from Fede Valverde that surprised Álvaro Fernández with a late reaction.
It was already the best first part of Real Madrid’s season in front of their fans and feeling that the break was approaching encouraged them not to take their foot off the accelerator. Rodrygo, after rediscovering the goal, wanted to extend his streak. First he stole Carmona’s wallet inside his area, in an excess of confidence that reflected Sevilla’s lack of competitive tension, and caressed the post with his shot at the long post.
Then he put his signature on the third, defining with surgeon’s precision a quick transition for a Real Madrid that punished the spaces. Bellingham’s vision, Lucas’ speed and, with Mbappé bordering on offside, the back pass to Rodrygo’s appearance.
Sevilla, who had arrived with a deflected header from Juanlu, on this occasion reacted with some pride and a bit that mixed the mischief of Isaac Romero and the lack of central automatism of Tchouaméni. The Frenchman ate the fake and lost the mark behind him to leave Courtois exposed. An error that was put on the list by the Bernabéu fans, whose most demanding sector is already whistling at Ancelotti’s wild card.
Nothing would change the panorama. García Pimienta was unable to correct his team’s defensive bleeding, without pure full-backs, with Kike Salas always surpassed by Lucas Vázquez. In his umpteenth offensive incorporation he ended up being selfish. He looked for the goal with Mbappé unmarked for his double.
It was impossible to maintain the intensity of the first act in the second for a Real Madrid that already felt the homework had been done before the holidays. It reduced the competitive tension, with a mistake by Courtois with his feet, with a lack of understanding with Tchouaméni, which Isaac Romero forgave as a clear example.
It did not mean that with Sevilla’s move to the front and the opportunity to enjoy the counterattack, with the good direction of Dani Ceballos, Brahim found his moment to leave his mark on the game. He teamed up with Mbappé, who assisted after scoring, and scored the ball into the net with quality after the rival goalkeeper’s desperate exit.
Ancelotti’s painting considered it sufficient. The moment for Jesús Navas arrived, a new applause from the Bernabéu when he jumped into the game, Sevilla’s quest to give a little makeup to the scoreboard. He ran into Courtois, Isaac Romero hit the post and Lukebakio scored the final 4-2. Nothing mattered anymore, the game counted down Navas’ seconds as a professional. Sevilla and Spanish football legend. The player who won the most titles with the Spanish team. The last survivor of the ‘golden generation’ said goodbye.
