Real Madrid 4 - Sevilla 2

Madrid: Casillas; Cicinho, Mejía, Sergio Ramos, Roberto Carlos (Raúl Bravo 68'); Gravesen (Soldado 80'); Beckham, Guti, Zidane, Robinho; Baptista. 4-1-4-1.
Sevilla: Palop; Daniel Alves, Aitor Ocio, Dragutinovic, David; Jesús Navas (Kepa 87'), Martí, Maresca, Adriano (Jesuli 64'); Kanouté, Luis Fabiano (Jordi 81'). 4-4-2.

Team changes: Madrid: Cicinho, Mejía, Gravesen, Beckham for Michel Salgado, Woodgate, Iván Helguera, Ronaldo / Sevilla: Aitor Ocio, Jesús Navas for David Prieto, Fernando Sales.

Goals:
1-0. 07. Guti. Connected with Zidane cross to turn shot wide of Palop.
1-1. 51. Luis Fabiano. Shot inside post after Casillas pushed out Maresca strike.
2-1. 58. Zidane (penalty). After Aitor Ocio pulled down Baptista in area.
3-1. 60. Zidane. Picked up back-heel Guti pass and shot into roof of net.
3-2. 84. Aitor Ocio. Turned ball back into net after Casillas pushed out free kick.
4-2. 94. Zidane. Collected return pass from Guti and shot wide of Palop.

Real Madrid took another step to recovery with a 4-2 win over Sevilla, and they move up to fourth in the table as result. Guti opened the scoring early on after connecting with a pass from Zidane, and the hosts could have extended the lead when Robinho shot wide, and Cicinho's long cross came back off the far post.

Sevilla weren't going to be beaten easily though, and Luis Fabiano headed just wide shortly before half time. And just six minutes in to the second half the Brazilian striker levelled the scores after Casillas could only push out a long shot from Maresca.

Soon afterwards though Madrid were back in front after Aitor Ocio pulled over Baptista in the area, Zidane converting the resulting penalty. And just two minutes later Zidane scored again after a brilliant back-heel pass from Guti put him through, the referee turning down appeals from the visitors for offside.

Again though the visitors came back, Aitor Ocio bringing the save of the night out of Casillas from a free kick. Sergio Ramos came close to scoring in his own goal when he headed a cross against his own crossbar, and Kanouté fired a shot against the foot of the post just minutes later. Palop did well to keep out Baptista at the other end and Beckham fired a wide free kick against the crossbar, but with six minutes to go Aitor Ocio put Sevilla back in the game when he whipped the ball in to the roof of the net after Casillas blocked a long free kick.

For a few minutes the visitors could have saved a point, and Jordi came very close to doing so. But with everybody going forward up to and including Palop, Zidane put the result beyond doubt when he completed his hat-trick on a rapid counter-attack. It was Madrid's eighth goal in foyr days, and at last it seems their season is getting under way.