Minutes before kick-off, Modric ceremoniously presented the Ballon d’Or trophy to Karim Benzema, who was ruled out of this clash through injury, in front of the adoring Madrid faithful.
The Croatian would then impact the game just minutes in, finishing off a superb team move like the Frenchman so often has, as Vinicius Junior drove at the Andalusians' defence before deftly squaring across to the midfielder for a simple tap-in.
Considering Real haven’t lost a home contest versus Sevilla since 2008, few would have blamed the visitors for going into their shells, particularly as it appeared the European champions were ready to produce another champagne performance in the Spanish capital.
And although a blunt-looking Sevilla would manage to ride out the first-half storm with just a one-goal deficit, Real threatened to double their lead minutes before the break through Modric, who couldn’t get his feet right when found in an almost identical position to the one in which he opened the scoring.
Sevilla, who have scored just three goals after the interval in LaLiga this term, initially continued their struggles after the interval, with ex-Blancos forward Isco cutting an isolated figure as the visitors laboured in their attempts to break the lines.
However, out of nowhere, the visitors shocked the hosts following Gonzalo Montiel’s delicious pass which set Erik Lamela through on goal. The ex-Tottenham Hotspur forward’s finish didn’t disappoint either, as he rolled the ball past a glum-looking Thibaut Courtois to level the scores.
The goal gave the visitors extra impetus, with Isco then smashing a half-volley into the side netting, as Real looked uncharacteristically shaken in the minutes after the equaliser.
This set up an intriguing finale, though a weary Sevilla eventually lost some of that earlier momentum and, with white shirts descending, their dams threatened to burst.
And burst they did, firstly through a deadly Real counterattack which saw Vinícius pass unselfishly once again, this time for an easy Lucas Vazquez finish, before Federico Valverde grabbed his seventh goal of the campaign with a blasted effort into the top corner from 25 yards to cruelly crush the hopes of Jorge Sampaoli’s charges late on.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid)
