Alonso's tactics were a complete mess; Rodrigo saved the day with 1 assist and 1 penalty won as Real Madrid narrowly defeated Sevilla 2-0.

At 4 a.m. Beijing time on December 21, in the 17th round of La Liga, Real Madrid faced Sevilla at home.

In the first half, Ferran García and Isaac Romero missed one-on-one chances consecutively; Rodrigo’s free kick from the right set up Bellingham’s header to open the scoring, giving Real Madrid a 1-0 lead at halftime. In the second half, Marcao was shown a second yellow card and sent off, Rodrigo won a penalty, and Mbappé converted it, scoring his 59th goal this year to match Cristiano Ronaldo’s record.

In the end, Real Madrid won 2-0 against Sevilla, securing their third consecutive victory across all competitions and moving to just one point behind league leaders Barcelona, who have played one more match.

Real Madrid lined up in a 4-3-3 formation under Alonso, with Rodrigo, Mbappé, and Vinicius forming the front three; Guiller, Tchouaméni, and Bellingham made up the midfield trio; Raúl Asensio, Rüdiger, Heisen, and F. García formed the back four; Courtois was in goal. The starting lineup’s market value was 880 million euros. Almeida deployed a 5-3-2 formation, with a starting value of only 79.9 million euros.

This was originally expected to be a one-sided match, but Real Madrid barely won under Alonso’s direction, relying heavily on the previously sidelined Rodrigo, who contributed one assist and won a penalty, helping two “billion-euro players,” Bellingham and Mbappé, score. Although Real won 2-0, it was a narrow victory and their performance was chaotic.

Guiller lost possession in midfield, Sevilla had a shot, and he just stood there shrugging in frustration. His inflated 90 million euro valuation might have made him feel like an easy target. Real Madrid played without any clear strategy, repeatedly caught on counterattacks, defenders chasing back, and Courtois saving one-on-ones. If Rodrigo was Alonso’s savior, then Courtois was his safe deposit box. If Real plays like this, Alonso’s tenure will end soon; this is one of the most disorganized Real Madrid teams in recent years.

Throughout the match,Real Madrid held 53% possession, with 18 shots, 8 on target; Sevilla had 14 shots, 5 on target.Real Madrid’s starting lineup was worth roughly ten times that of Sevilla’s, yet the match was evenly contested. If Real faces an opponent of equal strength, Alonso’s tactics will be seriously tested!