Benzema rallies Madrid past Sevilla, closer to league title

MADRID: Karim Benzema came up big yet again. He scored in second-half stoppage time on Sunday as Real Madrid rallied to a 3-2 win at Sevilla and moved closer to winning the Spanish league title for the second time in three seasons. Madrid conceded two goals four minutes apart in the first half but came back after halftime to win and open a 15-point lead at the top of the standings with six rounds to go.

Madrid’s closest challenger is Barcelona, which has two games in hand, including against relegation-threatened Cádiz on Monday. Third-place Sevilla could have cut Madrid’s gap to nine points with a win at its Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium but instead saw its 15-game unbeaten streak at home this season come to an end. Benzema scored his 15th goal in the last 10 matches with a shot from close range after a pass by Rodrygo two minutes into stoppage time.

The France striker is the Spanish league’s leading scorer with 25 goals and is having one of his best seasons yet with Madrid. He had already been decisive in recent Champions League matches against Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, being crucial in Madrid’s run to the semifinals. Sevilla looked on its way to a comfortable victory after opening the scoring with Ivan Rakitic’s low free kick in the 21st and adding to the lead with Erik Lamela’s goal from inside the area in a breakaway in the 25th.

But Madrid dominated after that and pulled closer with Rodrygo’s goal from close range after a pass by Dani Carvajal in the 50th. Carvajal then set up Nacho Fernández’s equalizer from inside the area in the 82nd, a few moments after Nacho had entered the match. Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior had a goal disallowed in the 74th for hand ball after a video review that lasted several