December 21, (THEWILL) — Real Madrid closed the gap on Barcelona to a single point in LaLiga after defeating Sevilla 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.
The victory keeps Xavi Alonso’s side within touching distance of the league leaders, who have one fixture remaining in 2025.
Jude Bellingham opened the scoring in the first half after being set up by Rodrygo. The Brazilian later won a penalty in the 86th minute, which Kylian Mbappe converted on his 27th birthday.
That goal marked Mbappe’s 59th of the calendar year, matching Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid record set during his time at the club. Both Mbappe and Rodrygo struck the woodwork earlier in the match.
Sevilla’s task became significantly harder when Marcao received a red card in the 68th minute following a foul on Bellingham.
Matias Jesus Almeyda’s side battled with 10 men for the remainder of the contest but could not prevent Madrid from claiming all three points.
Mbappe appeared set to surpass Ronaldo’s record when the referee awarded a second penalty after Oso challenged Bellingham.
However, VAR intervened and determined the Sevilla substitute had won the ball cleanly, overturning the initial decision.
The result maintains Madrid’s pursuit of Barcelona at the top of the table.
Mbappe finishes 2025 level with Ronaldo’s benchmark, whilst Madrid will look to build momentum when domestic action resumes in the new year.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
