Modric escapes suffocation for Madrid

Luka Modric saved Real Madrid with a superb goal against Sevilla and avoided a second La Liga defeat for the white team.

Luka Modric saved Real Madrid and prevented the leader from suffocating when he began to suspect a second successive failure in La Liga. Sevilla held on to maintain a 0-0 lead and Ancelotti looked to the bench in the 75th minute to salute him for the final dash. Six minutes later, the Croatian scored a goal, and Real Madrid fans celebrated the victory like a final.

This season, the Croatian has started only 11 of 26 league matches. Having lost his irreplaceable status, rumors begin to emerge about his departure from Real Madrid at the end of the season… And yet his presence on the pitch always inspires confidence in us. It’s too early to say, but who knows, his goal against Sevilla could have a huge impact on the fate of the championship.

This helped the leader keep his distance from the still champion, who spent a Saturday afternoon as happy as it was memorable. Barça completed their fifth unbeaten day by beating Getafe, their best result in months; his first home win by more than one goal since September and confirmation that, although late, he is ready to fight until his last breath.

San Mames, Metropolitano and Bernabeu (April 21) are still awaiting Xavi’s command in what is expected to be a show of force in which he must confirm or not whether he is able to challenge Madrid for a title whose next two departures (Valencia and Pamplona) are not entirely comfortable.

Meanwhile, Girona, having regained its momentum after a notable setback, appears as a surprise guest between two greats, defeating Rayo Vallecano in a superb match that ended in rout to keep the pulse high, expecting more logic. secure a place in the Champions League rather than dream of storming the title.

Behind Atlético and Athletic, they must fight for the last place in the main continental competition as the Colchoneros stumbled in Almeria and the Lions fell in Villamarin, having lost all other hope.

The survival instinct below rewarded Cadiz, who managed a last-gasp equalizer to Celta Vigo’s 0-2 win to avoid a fatal defeat, keeping the Galician team neck-deep in water and adding to doubts about Rafa’s consistency. Benitez, who will play for his position next Saturday against the condemned Almeria, in a fight from which Villarreal escaped by attacking Anoeta.

TARGET

Luca Romero. On loan from Milan until the end of the season, the young striker played his third game for the supposedly condemned Almeria… And he debuted his scoring with a brace that stopped Atlético Madrid. The first goal, 1:1, was scored as a result of excellent personal play, decided by a long-range strike that was as unexpected as it was tight, to which Oblak could not respond.

STOP

It’s from Antonio Sivera to Nemanja Radonjic in Mendizorros and the fact that Mallorca failed to make any progress against Alaves in the 20th minute of the game. The Argentine goalkeeper miraculously saved the Serbian striker’s shot, deflecting the ball just enough for it to go wide of the goal after hitting the crossbar.

HELP

The same one that Alex Baena gave to Santi Comesaña to give Villarreal a 0-2 win in San Sebastian. The midfielder stalked the edge of the box with great anticipation and crossed it with measured precision for a shot that came solo from his teammate.

VAR

He acted to cancel out Lucas Vazquez’s goal in the first half of the match between Real Madrid and Sevilla. The referee awarded the goal but was warned of Nacho’s previous controversial foul on En-Nesyri on the wing, which allowed Vinicius to intercept the ball and provide the assist for the youngster’s goal, which was eventually overturned.

MAIN PROTAGONIST

Rafinha. The Brazilian returned to the starting line-up in Montjuïc against Getafe and had a great game, scoring a goal and providing an assist with a few more opportunities to spare. Sidelined by the emergence of Lamin Yamal and his injury in January, he returned to the scene at the right time.

ONGOING

Darwin Machis. The Venezuelan scored a miraculous last-gasp goal to avoid Cádiz’s defeat at the hands of Celta Vigo and keep the Andalusian side’s hope of salvation alive. He came on in the 87th minute, and eleven minutes later, at the end of stoppage time, he revolutionized a match that seemed doomed, turning drama into party.

SHORT

Nico Williams. At Villamarin he was sent off due to an avoidable double yellow card. He was reprimanded, perhaps in exaggerated form, for a foul on Fekir, but his subsequent protests, which amounted to ironic applause from the referee, were inappropriate and left Athletic in an inferior position at the end of the first half.