Real Madrid v Sevilla Live Commentary & Result, 04/01/2017, Copa del Rey

That's all from this Copa del Rey clash. Thanks for joining us. Goodbye!

Sevilla may have kept the score-line down after the break to maintain a slither of hope heading into the second leg, but Madrid were dominant throughout.

So, it's 38 unbeaten for Madrid now, and this was ultimately easy for Zidane's side. James Rodriguez, twice, and Raphael Varane did the damage in the first half.

FULL-TIME: Real Madrid 3-0 Sevilla.

Madrid are fighting to the last. Modric is forward on the right to block a clearance in a move that had started with Nasri at the other end.

There's three minutes to be added here.

Madrid's Mariano has the crowd on his feet as he chases down the ball and wins a throw-in. It eventually arrives for Danilo as he charges down a cross, but the full-back handles.

Nasri, anonymous throughout, belatedly contributes a dazzling dribble, but slips the final pass out of play. That's summed up this game for Sevilla.

SAVE AGAIN! Sergio Rico is again alert to keep out Danilo after a marvellous Isco pass.

SAVE! Almost an immediate impact from Mariano! Rami miscontrols Marcelo's cross, but the Madrid forward volleys into Sergio Rico's grateful arms on the turn.

M. Díaz

Álvaro Morata

Like Correa, Morata has worked ever so hard for his team. Mariano enters the game.

Vitolo

Yellow Card

Vitolo desperately clips Isco's run short and takes the yellow card.

W. Ben Yedder

J. Correa

Correa has run himself into the ground, so he's replaced by Wissam Ben Yedder.

It looked earlier as though Madrid could put up another handsome score, but the body language now - and that last change - suggests they are happy enough with just the three. Sevilla, meanwhile, are desperately seeking a goal to give them hope ahead of next week's second leg.

Casemiro is not known for his goals, and his attempt there suggests why. Taking Kroos' cute pass on the turn, he curls high and wide.

Danilo

J. Rodríguez

Rodriguez's work is done after an excellent shift, and Danilo comes on.

Escudero is forward again, drilling in a low cross, but Kiko Casilla, faultless all game, gathers.

CLOSE! Sevilla force a corner, and, although it's cleared, Escudero dashes onto the loose ball to hammer a volley past the near post.

SAVE! Kroos has struggled to get into this one tonight, unlike Modric next to him. The World Cup winner does, though, shoot on target, with Sergio Rico comfortably catching from distance.

Asensio's partnership with Marcelo was killing Mariano, but now Rodriguez has shifted over and is linking up with the Brazil international in the same way. This is horrible for the Sevilla defender.

Morata gallops forward with the ball, but Isco slows the attack as Rodriguez dashes onto the scene in search of a hat-trick. The ball finally finds Marcelo, whose brilliant touch tees up Isco to lash into a defender.

Casemiro has led the charge for Madrid here. It all started with his tackle on N'Zonzi for the opener, and he's just delivered another supreme challenge on the edge of his own area to take possession. Sublime.

Isco

Marco Asensio

A rest for Asensio as Isco comes into the game.

Sevilla just cannot escape at the other end! N'Zonzi fouls Casemiro, and Rodriguez then twice wins the ball back from the recovering defenders. Finally, with some breathing space on the right, Carvajal charges into a challenge and somehow wins the throw-in, too. Marvellous energy.

Correa has worked ever so hard up front, with no reward. That doesn't change now as Nacho again recovers to wrestle the ball back from the dangerous forward run.

Nothing has gone Sevilla's way in this one. Vitolo holds the ball up in the box, goes down under a challenge, and then sees his teammate punished for a foul on Casemiro.

CHALLENGE! Kiko Casilla just gets this one right! Racing from his line, with Correa destined for N'Zonzi's through-ball, the Madrid goalkeeper just gets to the pass in time to hack clear. Great sweeping.

M. Kranevitter

Iborra

Iborra has had a tough time of it and the Sevilla captain makes way for Matias Kranevitter.

CHANCE! Marcelo and Morata link up again. The full-back drills a cross into the middle, but his teammate cannot direct the ball on target.

This game has completely passed Iborra by, and, when he finally shows his class to escape Modric and Casemiro, his final ball is awful. So disappointing.

This game remains so open, with opportunities to counter at either end. Correa tries to beat Nacho down the line, but the Madrid defender gets his body in front of the ball to ease the Sevilla man away.

The shots are flying in at the start of the second 45! Asensio tees up Marcelo, but the stand-in Madrid captain curls over.

CLOSE! Another good chance for Sevilla, another miss. Correa, a tireless runner, makes progress on the right but drags his shot wide of the far post.

CHANCE! Marcelo gallops forward down the left as the ball passes through Sevilla's non-existant midfield. The Brazil defender's cross picks out Morata, but he wildly lashes wide.

KICK-OFF: Real Madrid 3-0 Sevilla. Off we go again!

Pablo Sarabia

PH Ganso

Ganso was probably one of Sevilla's better players before the break, but he's off for Pablo Sarabia.

Here come the Madrid players once again. Can they add to this formidable lead ahead of the second leg?

Sevilla, though, have incredibly had two glaring opportunities to come back into the game. They've been made to pay for not hitting the net.

On the whole, Madrid have dominated and deserve to be ahead, scoring through Rodriguez, twice, and Varane.

HALF-TIME: Real Madrid 3-0 Sevilla.

J. Rodríguez

Penalty Goal

GOAL! It's a second for Rodriguez, who coolly rolls the penalty past Sergio Rico. What a frantic end to the half!

PENALTY! Mercado collides with Modric in the area, and Sevilla's recent hard work is surely undone as the referee awards a penalty.

G. Mercado

Yellow Card

Another yellow. Mercado is booked for the challenge as the cards tally up.

The corner comes in, but Gabriel Mercado cannot profit on a fortunate bounce and prods tamely at the grateful Kiko Casilla.

Dani Carvajal

Yellow Card

Carvajal was caught out in that play. He, too, protests his innocence and is likewise booked.

Marcelo

Yellow Card

Marcelo, the man nearest the linesman, was not happy with the call on Vitolo there. He protests and goes into the book.

SAVE! Vitolo has to score! He beats the offside trap, delays and then finishes straight at Kiko Casilla. It's really excellent goalkeeping as the Madrid man stands up until the final moment, but the defending and the finish should have been better.

After the early blow of his role in the opener, N'Zonzi has been quiet. He does, though, get forward on the left, but cannot squeeze the ball through to the ever advancing Correa.

And now Madrid aim to punish Sevilla's profligacy! This is another gorgeous, flowing move. Modric chests off to Rodriguez, who finds Kroos, before the ball reaches Marcelo and finally Asensio on the left. The visitors just about get the bodies back to clear.

Sevilla are back in this one. Correa forces a corner, which is cleared, but the visitors are steadily creeping up the field again.

CHANCE! What a miss! Nacho is caught out, with Correa running in behind and stabbing at Kiko Casilla. The rebound squirms to Iborra, who somehow misses the target with the goal gaping. That was a clear opportunity.

Some controversy as Casemiro goes down easily on the edge of his own area, before handling. The referee awards a free-kick Sevilla's way, but Nasri's set-piece is flicked over the bar by Ganso.

SAVE! Madrid are rampant! Adil Rami slips, with Morata smuggling a one-two through Kroos. The Spain forward steadies himself, coolly beats a couple of challenges, but finishes too close to Sergio Rico.

R. Varane

Goal

GOAL! Game over already? Madrid certainly look set to rack up a tally ahead of the second leg. Raphael Varane nods the corner down and into the net.

T. Kroos

Assist

Assist Toni Kroos

SAVE! This is glorious football from Madrid, it really is. Carvajal in to Modric, who backheels to Rodriguez. The cross is deep and Marcelo hammers a volley at the goalkeeper. Sevilla concede a corner...

Despite Madrid's dominance, Kroos has been fairly anonymous thus far. He drags a shot a long way wide from distance.

PH Ganso

Yellow Card

Already the frustration is building for Sevilla's starved creative players. Ganso trips Nacho and picks up a booking.

Frustration for Rodriguez, who challenges high, misses the ball, then controls it on the way down. He was away then, but it was initially a dangerous tackle.

Iborra

Yellow Card

Vicente Iborra tangles with Carvajal in the Madrid box from a high diagonal ball, but, as he hits the ground, the referee adjudges the Sevilla captain to have dived. Yellow card.

N'Zonzi finally shows his range of passing, finding Mariano, who in turn nudges on for Correa to win a corner. Again, however, it troubles no-one.

Madrid and Rodriguez cannot make anything of a corner from the right after a rattling challenge near halfway ran all the way behind. Still, though, Sevilla struggle to regain their earlier foothold.

Madrid are enjoying their football. Modric teases a pass in front of Carvajal, but Sergio Rico is there again. Confidence is flowing through the hosts, and, after 37 games unbeaten, why wouldn't it be?!

Sevilla look all at sea in defence now. Perhaps pushing back in the hope of a quick equaliser, Asensio is too often left alone, although his latest cross picks out only Sergio Rico's hands.

CLOSE! Oh, this is magical! Carvajal stands up a cross for Modric to acrobatically volley, and the Croatia international misses the far post by a matter of inches.

And now the visitors escape! This is breathless. Marco Asensio delivers from the left and Mariano makes a mess of the clearance, almost allowing Marcelo in. Desperate challenges keep the ball from Morata and Luka Modric.

Back come Sevilla, though! Mariano and Ganso make progress on the right, and a deep cross is needlessly headed behind by Carvajal. Fortunately for the Madrid defender, Kiko Casilla easily claims the corner.

J. Rodríguez

Goal

GOAL! It's James Rodriguez's goal, but it owes much to the hard tackling of Casemiro! Sevilla had looked resolute in defence, but, on the ball, were being pressed mercilessly by Madrid. Steven N'Zonzi was the man caught by Casemiro, and James took the ball to curl into the corner from the edge of the area.

Casemiro

Assist

Assist Carlos Henrique Casimiro

Perhaps Sevilla see an opportunity in this one, against a weakened home side, and they look in determined mood as they take shape in front of Madrid. Nasri, Correa and Vitolo certainly appear ready to spring a trap and counter.

Although Madrid are now enjoying some of the ball, with Carvajal and Marcelo involved on either flank, Kroos' wild swipe at the ball was the closest they have come to an early effort.

Appeals for a flag at the other end now, but Joaquin Correa is ruled onside as his shot deflects wide after fine work from Samir Nasri and Sergio Escudero. The subsequent corner, though, is turned past the post.

The linesman has saved Morata's blushes here! The Spain forward prods wide from in front of goal, but an offside flag lets him off the hook.

Sevilla enjoy possession in a promising position on the left in the opening minute, profiting on poor passes from Dani Carvajal and Toni Kroos, but Casemiro is quickly in to snuff out the danger.

KICK-OFF: Off we go - Madrid and Alvaro Morata get us started!

The players are on the pitch, and we will be under way in just a few short moments!

Madrid, of course, will be looking to extend their club-record 37-game unbeaten run in this one...

Not only are Madrid and Sevilla battling for a place in the cup quarter-finals, the visitors also trail Zinedine Zidane's side by four points in the league title race.

While both teams reached this stage with ease - Madrid beating Cultural Leonesa 13-2 on aggregate, Sevilla topping Formentera 14-2 - this trio of fixtures should have a crucial impact on their respective domestic fortunes this season.

This is the first of a trio of meetings between these two sides in the next fortnight, with the second leg quickly followed by a Liga encounter in Seville.

So Madrid, without Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo, make five changes to the side that won the FIFA Club World Cup a week before Christmas. Sevilla, meanwhile, bring back the big guns, with seven changes after thrashing Formentera.

Subs: Sirigu, Matias Kranevitter, Sarabia, Nico Pareja, Kiyotake, Ben Yedder, Vietto.

Sevilla: Sergio Rico, Mariano, Merado, Rami, Escudero, Iborra, N'Zonzi, Vitolo, Ganso, Nasri, Correa.

Subs: Navas, Danilo, Coentrao, Mariano, Odegaard, Isco, Benzema.

Real Madrid: Kiko Casilla, Carvajal, Varane, Nacho, Marcelo, Modric, Casemiro, Kroos, Rodriguez, Morata, Asensio.

Welcome to our live text commentary from the Santiago Bernabeu as Real Madrid and Sevilla go head-to-head in the first leg of their Copa del Rey last-16 clash!

Real Madrid v Sevilla Live Commentary, 04/01/2017

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