Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez says his players didn’t manage the situation when they were leading against Sevilla.
Los Blancos let a one goal lead slip at the Sanchez Pizjuan to lose 3-2 – their first defeat of the season and one that leaves them three points behind rivals Barcelona in the league going into the Clasico.
Sergio Ramos had given the visitors the lead with an acrobatic bicycle kick before the hosts stunned Real with three goals in reply. Jame Rodriguez got on the score sheet in the final minute but it was too little, too late.
Afterwards, Benitez said his players failed to keep calm when they were in control of the game.
“We played 30 really good minutes, we had real control in all areas and then we allowed them to score from a dead ball, and that affected us. They made the most of mistakes by us to get the third goal and we scored a second at the end, but it wasn’t enough. For a lot of the first half we saw a really good Real Madrid performance, and in the second half we couldn’t keep that going,” he said.
And he added: “We lacked the ability to manage the situation. The match seemed to be under control, and with their first goal they regained confidence and our mistakes allowed them to get stronger. We should have killed off Sevilla in that first half, and we didn’t. It’s difficult to react at 3-1 down.”
