MADRID: Producing one of their best displays of an up-and-down season, Real Madrid scored a convincing 2-0 victory over Sevilla to get back into La Liga’s top three.

Casemiro was on target with a superb long-range shot before Luka Modric added a late second goal.

The win moved Real into the top three for the first time since September and eased the pressure on coach Santiago Solari.

“We have to try to keep this momentum,” Solari said. “In the next match we have to try to play as well as we did today.”

The attack spluttered again but Casemiro broke the deadlock at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium with a 78th-minute shot, and Modric sealed victory following a counter attack in stoppage time to cap a great performance by the world player of the year.

“We needed a match like this,” Modric said. “We haven’t forgotten how to play. We had been struggling but this is a turning point for us. We have to keep improving.”

Real went above Sevilla in the standings and provisionally moved within seven points of leaders Barcelona.

Solari’s men are five points adrift of second-place Atletico Madrid, who won 3-0 at bottom club Huesca.

Sevilla, winless in four consecutive league matches, dropped three points behind Real after 20 matches.

“We faced the best Madrid in a while,” Sevilla coach Pablo Machin said. “They made it difficult for us.”

Without some regular starters because of injury, Real had trouble capitalising on their chances against Sevilla’s solid defensive system. They dominated possession and looked in control for most of the match, although the visitors threatened on the counter attack.

Young Brazilian Vinicius Junior had two good early chances for Real, including a one-on-one. He also had a few decent chances in the second half, but it was midfielder Dani Ceballos who came closest to scoring for Madrid with a booming shot that struck the crossbar in the 67th.

Sevilla’s best opportunity came when Sergio Escudero missed with only goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to beat.

Casemiro finally put Real in front with a right-footed strike into the top corner and Modric added the second from a breakaway.

ATLETICO REBOUND

Atletico Madrid cruised to victory at Huesca with goals by Lucas Hernandez, Santiago Arias and Jorge “Koke” Resurreccion in a game played amid thick fog at El Alcoraz Stadium.

Atletico were coming off elimination against Girona in the round-of-16 of the Copa del Rey.

“We played well throughout,” coach Diego Simeone said. “The performance gives us motive to remain optimistic.” It was the third loss in four matches for Huesca, who have only 11 points.

In another match, Celta Vigo squandered a first-half lead to lose 2-1 at home to Valencia.

The result extended Celta’s winless streak to five matches and left the team in 17th place, just outside the relegation zone.

Still without the injured Iago Aspas, Celta opened the scoring with a header by Nestor Araujo late in the first half, but Ferran Torres equalised with a shot from inside the area midway through the second and Rodrigo netted Valencia’s winner from close range in the 84th.

Valencia hadn’t won in three straight league matches. They are now up to seventh in the standings.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2019