Raul Hat-trick Leads Real Madrid Comeback Win

Real Madrid were aware that they had a chance to close the gap on league leaders, Barcelona, down to just four points but they knew they had a tough task against a Sevilla side who have not lost to the capital giants at the Sanchez Pizjuan in exactly six years and one day.

And Los Blancos had their backs up against the wall early on as Renato nodded the home side in front after 15 minutes, but Raul restored parity right at the end of the first half with a predatory finish.

The captain nabbed two more to complete his hat-trick and Madrid’s comeback on the hour mark before Diego Capel ensured a tense finale as he pulled one back for the hosts ten minutes from time, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a fourth successive defeat as Marcelo hammered the nail into the coffin in injury time.

Juande Ramos was forced to make wholesale changes to his line-up in terms of personnel and formation. Without Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, Gabriel Heinze and Pepe, the ex-Sevilla trainer, who was bombarded with vitriolic abuse of ‘Judas’ by his former fans, opted to leave Klaas-Jan Huntelaar on the bench and started with Raul as the lone striker. And the gamble paid dividends.

It was a scrappy start by both sides but it was Sevilla who created all the early threats, especially through the left via Diego Perotti as Madrid laboured to get the ball out of their own half.

But they sprung a surprise on eight minutes when Gonzalo Higuain raced onto a through pass and slotted the ball into the bottom corner, but Andres Palop didn’t even bother to make the save after spotting the offside going up.

Seconds later, Frederic Kanoute galloped down the left flank and squared a low cross to the middle but Romaric’s soft finish was easily picked up by Iker Casillas.

But on 15 minutes, Sevilla went ahead. Perotti charged down the left completely unchallenged and lofted in a superb cross with the outside of his right foot and Renato, also unmarked and uncontested in the box, easily nodded past Casillas.

Los Nervionense, and Perotti in particular, continued to hassle Los Blancos, who were struggling to string even two complete passes together. And Kanoute should have doubled their lead in the 20th minute when Adriano’s centre found the giant Malian, who dragged his effort agonisingly wide. Immediately after, Perotti bore down on goal through the left channel but his tame finish was saved by Casillas.

Higuain almost equalised for the visitors right on the half-hour mark when he was released clean through on goal by Raul but his shot was parried away by Palop. Literally 60 seconds later, the Argentine was presented with an identical opportunity but he could only ripple the side netting this time. Madrid were slowly wrestling control of the game by now as an adventurous Lassana Diarra skipped into the box between two defenders but blasted his effort high and wide.

But right on 45 minutes, the ‘Men In White’ were back on levelled terms. Christoph Metzelder raced onto a through ball on the right flank and pulled it back to the middle for Raul and ‘El Capitan’ nicked ahead of his marker to stab it past Palop from three yards out.

The Andalucians dropped their intensity and pressure late in the first period and it continued after the break as the Merengues dictated proceedings at their own languid pace.

And they had the first chance of the half on 53 minutes when Marcelo darted past David Prieto to the byline and pulled the cross back to Higuain but ‘Pipita’ scuffed his first time shot wide with his left foot. Straight to the other end, Jesus Navas forced Casillas into a fine save when he drilled in a speculative low shot to his near post from the right channel.

The boisterous Sanchez Pizjuan crowd, who had taunted their former coach all game long with dollar bills marked ‘Juan Dollar’ and Juande’s face in the centre, was stunned into silence on 62 minutes when Madrid took the lead. Miguel Torres curled in a cross from the left and Raul showed he has lost none of his clinical finishing as he swept a first time left foot shot into the top left corner.

Los Blancos were growing more confident now and three minutes later, ‘El Siete’ completed his hat-trick. Higuain’s cross-cum-shot from the right flank was spilled by Palop and Raul easily scrambled the ball into the empty net.

Madrid were now looking to shut up shop and hit the over-committed rojiblancos on the counter, but Manolo Jimenez’s side pulled one back in the 80th minute to ensure a tense finale. Jesus Navas whipped in a deep cross from the right and Diego Capel nipped ahead of a static Sergio Ramos to blast the ball past Casillas.

The Nervion outfit piled on the pressure as the clock ticked down, but they could only create half chances with hopeful crosses from the flanks as ‘San Iker’ and his defenders dealt with everything that came their way. The gaps were evident in the Sevilla rearguard and the Merengues exploited the extra space as they slapped the icing was on the cake two minutes into injury time when Marcelo latched onto Huntelaar’s through ball and made no mistakes one-on-one against Palop.

Madrid will head into El Clasico next weekend just four points behind Barcelona, while Sevilla’s third spot in the table is now under threat as they lie just one point ahead of Valencia and two in front of Villarreal.