BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Rodrygo scored twice to give Real Madrid a 2-1 win at Sevilla in the Spanish league on Saturday.
Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior did not travel with the team due to what coach Carlo Ancelotti said was a knee injury that also kept him from playing midweek against Rayo Vallecano. His absence from the field comes amid a huge uproar that has reached his native Brazil after he was racially abused by fans during last weekend’s game at Valencia.
Karim Benzema and forward Marco Asensio also missed the match with an injury. Rodrygo spearheaded Madrid’s attack in their absence as the sole forward in Madrid’s starting lineup along with five midfielders.
Sevilla coach José Mendilibar, who has turned the team around since his arrival two months ago, rested some of his top players like striker Youssef En-Nesyri ahead of Wednesday’s Europa League final against AS Roma in Budapest.
Rafa Mir finished off an initial shot by Bryan Gil that had hit a Madrid defender and fell to the striker in the area to give the hosts a third-minute lead.
Rodrygo equalized in the 29th with a free kick that he sent around the side of the defensive barrier and caught goalkeeper Yassine Bounou off guard.
Érik Lamela almost put Sevilla back in front when he hit the post in the 36th.
Rodrygo scored his second in the 69th after the Brazil forward received a ball from Toni Kroos on a counterattack and used a slick change of foot to glide past defender Gonzalo Montiel before beating Bounou.
Sevilla's Marco Ocuña was sent off for a direct red card in the 84th after his studs-first tackle on Dani Ceballos.
The win left Madrid in second place and Sevilla in 10th with one game left. Barcelona clinched the title three rounds ago.
The other nine games of this penultimate round will be played simultaneously on Sunday with seven teams involved in the relegation battle.
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