Real Madrid vs. Sevilla: 2017 Spanish Copa del Rey Leg 1 Score, Reaction

Real Madrid thrashed Sevilla 3-0 in the first leg of their round-of-16 match in the Copa del Rey at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night.

La Liga leaders Real were three up by half-time thanks to a brace from James Rodriguez and a Raphael Varane header. The Colombian fired in from outside the box to open the scoring, and he then struck a penalty after the French defender had doubled Los Merengues' lead.

Sevilla boss Jorge Sampaoli picked a creative team for the visit to the Spanish capital. On-loan Manchester City playmaker Samir Nasri was joined by Brazilian maestro Ganso in a starting XI without a natural striker, per Sevilla's official Twitter account:

With Cristiano Ronaldo resting, according to Spanish publication Marca (h/t Football Espana), Real manager Zinedine Zidane used Marco Asensio and James to partner with Alvaro Morata in attack, per the club's Twitter account:

It was James who fired Real in front in the 11th minute. The Colombia international pounced on a ball won well by holding midfielder Casemiro and made himself a yard before lashing a curling effort into the net.

James' strike was good enough to prompt Bleacher Report UK's Graham Ruthven to joke that transfer rumours regarding the player would soon be blown out of proportion:

The goal enlivened what had been a bland start. Even though Sampaoli had been daring with his selections, ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan questioned some of the demands he placed on his choices:

Real were firmly in control, with Luka Modric conducting midfield with class and intelligence. The Croatian teed up Morata for what should have been a goal, then the 31-year-old hit the post after producing an acrobatic overhead kick.

Modric's quality on the ball had Los Blancos shifting through the gears and producing football pleasing on the eye to dissect the Sevilla defence.

Corrigan described one such flowing move in detail:

Real's dominance was rewarded by a second goal barely shy of the half-hour mark, when Varane headed home a Toni Kroos corner. Two became three when the increasingly influential Modric was felled in the box, allowing James to convert from the spot for his second of the night.

OptaJose detailed how the former AS Monaco man has made a habit out of punishing Sevilla:

The second half began with Real still purring in the final third. More goals should have been added in no time at all, but Morata twice failed to cap stylish moves with finishing touches.

Perhaps content with their three-goal lead, the hosts soon settled into a pattern of steady passing designed to slow the game. Varane and fellow centre-back Nacho were looking resolute, while Casemiro was a stingy figure at the base of midfield.

In a sign that Real were content to shut up shop, Zidane swapped James—the star of the night—for defender Danilo. Not surprisingly, the home side preserved their clean sheet without needing to add to the commanding scoring tally.

This was an impressive result from Real, one that speaks volumes about the overall quality of Zidane's squad. In particular, Los Blancos proved they can dominate handy opposition even without Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale.

It's something that might separate Real from their closest rivals, according to Marca writer Arch Bell:

Zidane's luxury with squad depth should also continue serving Los Merengues well in the cup.

Post-Match Reaction

Zidane rightly hailed two-goal hero James. Significantly, the manager made a point of praising the Colombian's work rate, not always something the stylish No. 10 is noted for, per Corrigan:

Zidane also spoke glowingly of the strength in depth of his squad, particularly how his team is not reliant solely on its star man:

As for Sampaoli, he vowed to fight on, despite the heavy deficit facing his team, per Sevilla's official Twitter:

Sampaoli has little choice but to be bold and defiant in the second leg on January 12, although it's hard to deny Real are already on the brink of the last eight.