Real Madrid vs. Sevilla: Score, Grades and Reaction from La Liga Match

For Real Madrid, the fact that Cristiano Ronaldo couldn't play against Sevilla—serving the second game of his two-match ban—was the least of its concerns. So was the actual result of the contest.

While Los Blancos survived with a 2-1 victory over Sevilla behind goals from James Rodriguez and Jese Rodriguez, they also saw Sergio Ramos and James Rodriguez leave with injuries and Marcelo pick up a yellow card that could keep him out of Saturday's key fixture against Atletico Madrid.

It was a best-of-times, worst-of-times sort of afternoon for Real Madrid.

The first half was an interesting one. Real Madrid nearly gave up a cheap goal in the opening minutes, as Victor Perez split the defense and was one-on-one with Iker Casillas after a defensive miscommunication. The keeper came up big for Los Blancos, however, making a key save.

Minutes later, Ramos had to leave the game with an apparent hamstring injury. He was replaced by Jose Iglesias. That could be a problem in the near future, as ESPN FC tweeted:

Missing Ramos against Atletico Madrid would be a major blow for Los Blancos.

Then things got better, as James Rodriguez opened the scoring with a fantastic goal. His far-post run was rewarded by Marcelo, who whipped a perfect cross into the box that Rodriguez met with a diving header. Bleacher Report UK passed along an image of the goal:

Rodriguez has certainly been prolific this season for Los Blancos, as Squawka Football tweeted:

Perhaps more importantly, he's been more productive than the man he essentially replaced in Real Madrid's attack, per Opta Jose:

Real Madrid nearly gave up the lead minutes later, however. Vicente Iborra played a lovely through ball to Vitolo, who rounded Casillas and seemed destined to score. But to the dismay of Sevilla supporters, his shot on goal hit the woodwork and stayed in the field of play. 

Vitolo's tough luck continued in the 22nd minute, as his far-post header half-volley was stymied by Casillas, who had himself quite the first half at Vitolo's expense.

But minutes after that save, things took a turn for the worse for Real Madrid once again, as James Rodriguez had to leave the game and was replaced by Jese Rodríguez. ESPN FC has more:

The injuries continued to pile up in the first half, though in the 32nd minute, the injury bug bit Sevilla, with keeper Antonio Pimparel forced to leave the game after a collision with Karim Benzema as he was trying clear a ball in the box. It appeared that Benzema caught Beto in the head with a raised knee as he went to play the ball. 

Sergio Rico came in to replace Beto and was almost instantly beaten, as an Isco deflection of Benzema's low cross ended on the feet of Jese, who calmly sent the ball past a helpless Rico. However, a horrendous pass from Carlos Bacca certainly didn't help matters, as Dermot Corrigan of ESPN tweeted:

Jese was especially dynamic in the first half, as Squawka Football noted:

Benzema then should have made it 3-0 in the 38th minute after Gareth Bale played him free on goal with a brilliant pass, but the French striker somehow sent his shot wide.

Real Madrid continued to threaten early in the second 45. Jese hit the post in the 49th minute, while Rico made a brilliant save in the 55th, as Isco weaved his way through several defenders and put a shot on frame, only to be denied by the Sevilla keeper.

Sevilla had its chances, however. Somehow, Iborra managed to completely get himself crossed up in front of goal after a perfect cross left him with the most basic of finishes to cut the deficit in half. Much to the chagrin of the Sevilla faithful, he couldn't capitalize, an indication that perhaps he was playing out of position, per Jonny McConnell of Squawka Football:

Finally, in the 80th minute, Bolton managed to get on the board. Iago Aspas, who came on for the uninspiring Bacca, easily put away Vitolo's cross from the touch line to pull within a single goal. That set up a nervy finish for Real Madrid, though Los Blancos were able to hold on to their 2-1 advantage and sneak away with the win.

Grades

Paul White/Associated Press

Isco, Real Madrid: A

Isco was in the middle of everything for Real Madrid. He played integral passes to his teammates. He was the key figure in setting up Real Madrid's second goal. He nearly scored himself after a brilliant run through Sevilla's defense. He looked the part of the perfect creative midfielder in this one, helping Los Blancos overcome Ronaldo's suspension and James Rodriguez's injury.

Vitolo, Sevilla: B+

There's always the tricky decision to make in terms of the extent a player should be punished for missing clear opportunities, since he also put himself in position to make a play in the first place. Though he really should have scored in this game, he did notch an assist and was regularly Sevilla's most threatening attacker. 

Were he better, Sevilla might have secured a point. Had he not played at all, Sevilla would have been quite meek going forward.

Jese Rodriguez, Real Madrid: A-

Replacing James Rodriguez is no easy task, but Jese did so with aplomb, scoring what would ultimately be the game-winning goal and buzzing from the moment he entered the game as he gave Sevilla's defenders fits. It's a testament to Real Madrid's attacking depth that Jese started this match on the bench. 

Post-Match Reaction

Daniel Ochoa de Olza/Associated Press

In La Liga terms, this was a huge win for Real Madrid. The club went four points clear of Barcelona and seven points clear of Atletico Madrid, with all three clubs having played 21 games. Los Blancos are certainly in the driver's seat in La Liga play.

But it's a bittersweet victory. While Ronaldo will return for Saturday's clash against Atletico Madrid, Ramos and James Rodriguez could end up missing the contest due to injury, while Marcelo will likely miss the contest after picking up a yellow card in the match.

Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno addressed Marcelo's cards and the injuries after the match, per AS English on Twitter:

Playing without those three players could be a major detriment against Atletico Madrid. On the other hand, getting Ronaldo back will surely help offset that. It will be very intriguing to see their starting XI come Saturday. 

As for Sevilla, it remains in fourth place and in the last spot for Champions League qualifying, though by a single point over Valencia. It'll face lowly Getafe on Sunday, a match Sevilla will be expected to win.