Real Madrid strike late but title hopes hit by dramatic Sevilla draw
Eden Hazard's 94th-minute equaliser salvaged Real Madrid a dramatic 2-2 draw against Sevilla on Sunday as an extraordinary penalty decision swung La Liga's title race back Atletico Madrid's favour.
Zinedine Zidane's side had levelled through Marco Asensio midway through the next half and thought that they had a penalty when Karim Benzema was brought down after rounding Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bono.
But VAR prompted referee Juan Martinez Munuera to check on an Eder Militao handball a couple of seconds before, with an enormous decision seeing Madrid's penalty cancelled and a spot-kick awarded to Sevilla instead.
Ivan Rakitic converted even though Madrid still were able to hit back in injury time, Toni Kroos' shot deflecting in off Eden Hazard's foot, the draw hands the benefit back to Atletico towards the end of another dramatic weekend in the Spanish title race.
"They have to describe the specific rules of the hands if you ask me," said Zidane afterwards. "However now we have to think about the next game. It isn't up to us now, but we will fight to the end, to the death."
After Barcelona and Atletico played out a goalless draw on Saturday at Camp Nou, the next instalment of La Liga's blockbuster weekend also finished honours even, meaning the problem at the very top is unchanged with three games now remaining.
Atletico are two points clear of both Real Madrid and Barcelona, with the title quite definitely back in their hands.
A Sevilla victory might have given them another chance but instead they remain six points back and are surely out of the running.
"We're disappointed but we will not give up," said Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui. "We are going to try to keep this dream going just a little longer."
With a superior head-to-head record over Barcelona, Real Madrid scraping a draw could also yet prove decisive, given they simply overtake one team now rather than two.
"It's a shame but we're alive," said Luka Modric. "We've seen that everyone is dropping points which means you need to have faith."
Hazard had to come off the Real bench after his controversial a reaction to the Champions League defeat by Chelsea and while the equaliser was eventually credited to him, there was hardly a feeling of redemption given how little the Belgian knew about it.
Sevilla had 75 per cent of the ball in the first ten minutes nonetheless it felt like more, with Madrid chasing shadows and incapable of escaping their own half.
They scored with their first attack, Benzema rising above Jules Kounde to head in, limited to the goal to be chalked off, with Alvaro Odriozola offside in the build-up.
Madrid looked jaded, the usually reliable Modric guilty of sloppy passes while Kroos and Casemiro struggled to affect the game.
Sevilla took the lead in the 22nd minute and it was brilliantly worked, a brief free-kick down the proper bettering the angle before Rakitic's cool header down gave Fernando Reges the opportunity. He dummied at night diving Casemiro before slotting in.
- Asensio's rapid response -
Madrid emerged early after half-time. Vinicius Junior poked onto the exterior of the post after a clever short corner before Modric departed for Asensio, who scored 65 seconds after coming on.
Sevilla's Joan Jordan was caught in midfield and Benzema sped away. Asensio appeared as if he previously overrun the ball nonetheless it was returned to him by Kroos and he swept first-time into the net.
Madrid had the momentum and they thought they had a penalty prior to the pendulum swung one way and the other in a matter of seconds.
Sevilla's corner was cleared and Benzema was sent through one-on-one, rounding Bono and heading down for what looked an evident spot-kick.
Instead, Martinez was prompted to check out the monitor, where he saw Militao had dangled an arm onto the ball before Sevilla's corner was cleared.
Both benches made their feelings clear as the voices from the stand before Martinez, most of them belonging to Madrid, insisted the ball had struck Militao's back.
But Martinez cancelled Madrid's penalty and awarded one to Sevilla instead, with Rakitic upgrading and slotting in to the corner.
Hazard came on and the drama had not been yet finished. Kroos ghosted forward in the 94th minute and fired off a go that deflected off the Hazard's foot and in.
Madrid still had two minutes to locate a winner plus they almost first got it, Casemiro's effort curling agonisingly wide.
