Real Madrid beat nine-man Sevilla 2–0

KATHMANDU: Real Madrid secured a 2–0 victory over nine-man Sevilla after late goals from Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham in their penultimate La Liga fixture.

Despite being reduced to ten men in the 12th minute after Loïc Badé was shown a straight red card for bringing down Mbappe as the last defender, Sevilla held strong against Madrid’s relentless attacks.

Their hopes further dwindled when Isaac Romero, brought on at halftime, received two bookings in seconds for a reckless challenge on Aurélien Tchouaméni, leaving Sevilla with only nine players.

Madrid finally broke the deadlock in the 75th minute, when La Liga’s top scorer Mbappe netted his 29th league goal of the season. In the 87th minute, Jude Bellingham sealed the win with a powerful header from substitute Gonzalo García’s cross.

This win came after Real Madrid’s hopes of retaining the La Liga title were dashed on Thursday, when Barcelona defeated Espanyol 2–0 to clinch their 28th league title.

The result also confirmed that coach Carlo Ancelotti would finish his final season with Madrid without a major trophy.

Sevilla, meanwhile, have endured a turbulent season battling relegation. Just days ago, players were forced to sleep at the training ground following violent incidents involving fans.

A narrow 1–0 win over Las Palmas earlier this week secured their top-flight status, but the clash with Madrid ended in disappointment for their supporters.

Ancelotti is set to lead Madrid for the final time on May 25 against Real Sociedad at the Santiago Bernabéu before officially taking charge as Brazil’s national team coach the following day.

Elsewhere in La Liga, newly crowned champions Barcelona suffered a 3–2 defeat to Villarreal. Atlético Madrid thrashed Real Betis 4–1, Athletic Club edged Valencia 1–0, Osasuna beat Espanyol 2–0, Rayo Vallecano overcame Celta Vigo 2–1, and Real Sociedad claimed a 3–2 win over Girona.