Real Madrid 2-1 Sevilla: 5 hits and flops as Vinicius Junior wonder goal secures late win for Los Blancos | La Liga 2021-22

Real Madrid fought back from a goal down to beat Sevilla 2-1 in La Liga on Sunday. Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior were on target for the hosts after Rafa Mir gave the visitors the lead.

The Spaniard caught Los Blancos napping when a corner was played in, planting a fine header into the far post. About 20 minutes later, Carlo Ancelotti's side were level after Benzema pounced on a mistake from Yassine Bono to tap home into an empty net.

While the first half was engaging and end-to-end, the match slackened off after the break, and a draw seemed like a distinct possibility. However, with only three minutes of normal time remaining, Vinicius struck a breathtaking long-range goal into the top corner to win it for his side.

Real Madrid went four points clear at the top following the victory, while Sevilla remained in fourth place. On that note, here are the five hits and flops from either team in the game:

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Hit: Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)

Vinicius won it for Real Madrid in style.

After struggling to deliver on his initial promise, Vinicius Junior has finally burst into life this season. He continued his rich vein of form against Sevilla with a sublime winner.

Collecting the ball on the edge of midfield, the Brazilian broke into his trademark dribble. After finding a massive gap in Sevilla's defence, Vinicius thumped home a volley into the top-right corner.

It was a goal of the highest quality, straight out of the top drawer. It was also reflective of a player currently oozing tremendous confidence as Vinicius struck his ninth league goal of the season.

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Flop: Yassine Bounou (Sevilla)

Bono made a mistake that led to Real Madrid's goal.

Sevilla custodian Yassine Bounou had no chance with Vinicius' wonder goal. But he could've and should've done better in the first that led to Benzema's equaliser.

He failed to control a powerful shot from range from Eder Militao. The Moroccan spilled the ball against the post while attempting to catch it.

Benzema latched on to the rebound after getting to the ball first, smacking home into an empty net to bring Los Blancos level. Bono was left on the floor in a heap, with regret written all over his face.

Hit: Rafa Mir (Sevilla)

The Spaniard struck his fifth league goal of the season.

Rafa Mir of Sevilla played a perfectly-placed header beyond Real Madrid custodian Thibaut Courtois to give the visitors an unlikely lead at the Santiago Bernabeu. It was his fifth league goal of the season.

After watching his initial corner come to nothing, Marcos Acuna quickly took a second. That found Mir inside the box, who was also the beneficiary of some poor man-marking from Real Madrid.

Mir had all the time to contort his body and aim his header into the far post beyond the despairing dive of Courtois. However, he would be frustrated to see another effort cleared shortly thereafter.

Daniel Carvajal sloppily gave the ball to Mir just moments after Sevilla's opener. Mir successfully rounded Courtois and fired at goal, but David Alaba cleared his effort on the line.

Either way, Mir was a huge menace to Real Madrid on the night.

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Flop: Daniel Carvajal (Real Madrid)

Daniel Carvajal gave the ball away to Mir in the first half.

It's no secret that Daniel Carvajal is no longer the force he once was. But his performance against Sevilla last night was still well below his usual standards.

Carvajal surged forward at will, but those runs largely came to nothing. He even calamitously gave the ball away to Mir, but Alaba bailed him out with a timely goal-line clearance.

Alejandro Gomez then made Carvajal look like a training cone by cutting inside from the left early into the second half before taking a shot. Sevilla's press clearly unsettled Carvajal, and the Spaniard went into the referee's books with an ill-timed challenge on Acuna.

If that wasn't enough, the Spaniard was seen limping off in the dying moments of normal time with a potential injury.

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Hit: David Alaba (Real Madrid)

David Alaba was a force to reckon with in Real Madrid's defence.

David Alaba has been a fine addition to Real Madrid's defence this summer. He produced another masterclass at the heart of their backline against Sevilla on Sunday.

Alaba made a vital clearance off the line to deny Mir a second goal and prevent Sevilla from doubling their lead. He also made his presence felt at the other end.

The Austrian attempted two shots - as many as Marcos Alonso, a winger, did - with his second, in particular, being a close one. It was a volley from a set-piece. Alaba struck it with immense technique and power with his left foot, but the shot flew narrowly over the crossbar.