Yahoo Sports 1 assist, 2 big chances created: Real Madrid veteran puts in one of his best performances of the season against Sevilla
Real Madrid ended 2024 in style as they beat Sevilla in their last game of the year with a 4-2 scoreline. The Merengues will now leave for their Christmas holidays, and they will next be seen in action on 3rd January, in their match against Valencia that was previously postponed because of the DANA floodings.
Los Blancos’ performance against Sevilla was exactly what their fans would have hoped to see ahead of Christmas. All of their starting forwards on the night, Kylian Mbappe, Rodrygo Goes, and Brahim Diaz, got on the scoresheet, while Federico Valverde also scored another absolute banger.
In addition to this trio, another player who really stood out for the Merengues last night was Lucas Vazquez. The Spaniard has been Ancelotti’s starting right-back since the serious injury suffered by Dani Carvajal, and there is no argument that his defensive skills have left a lot to be desired.
However, last night, he was nearly perfect, and put in one of his best performances of the season for Real Madrid. He contributed directly to the third goal scored by Real Madrid, as his low cross into the box was found by Rodrygo, and the Brazilian made no mistake to put the ball into the back of the net.
Similarly, he was also key for the fourth goal, as it was the interplay between Kylian Mbappe, Lucas Vazquez, and Brahim Diaz that resulted in that goal.
Even beyond these most notable contributions, the Spaniard was in scintillating offensive form last night. According to Sofascore statistics, he completed 45 of his 48 passes, thus recording a 94% passing success rate. Similarly, he also put in 2 key passes and created 2 big chances, while all of his 3 long passes accurately found their target and he missed only 1 of his 3 attempted crosses.
Vazquez could himself have been on the scoresheet as he got himself into a very favourable position inside the box, but his shot was straight at the keeper.
The Spaniard was also excellent with the ball at his feet, and it was delightful to see him beat defenders with his trickery at some moments in this game. Overall, all of his 4 attempted dribbles were successful last night and he won 10 of the 17 ground duels he was involved in.
There was also a notable improvement in his defensive game. Against Sevilla, he made 3 clearances and 5 tackles, but there is no doubt that there can still be a significant improvement in this aspect of his game.
Overall, this was a very encouraging performance from a player who is expected to remain a key part of the Real Madrid backline as the second half of the season beckons. Hopefully, he will only build on this performance, and help his team have a season as successful as the last one was.
