Madrid, May 27 (BNA): Rodrygo scored two goals to give Real Madrid a 2-1 victory over Sevilla on Saturday, in a La Liga match that Brazilian Vinicius Jr. missed after the international uproar against the racist abuse he was subjected to.
Vinicius did not travel with the squad due to what coach Carlo Ancelotti said was a knee injury that also prevented him from playing in midweek against Rayo Vallecano.
His absence from the field comes amid an uproar in his native Brazil after he was racially abused by fans during last weekend’s match in Valencia. Karim Benzema and striker Marco Asensio also missed the match due to injury.
The 22-year-old Rodrigo has done well on his own as the only striker in Madrid’s starting line-up along with five midfielders, according to the Associated Press.
Drigo, who missed an obvious scoring opportunity early in the game, said he was a bit annoyed at Ancelotti for replacing him with defender Nacho Fernandez with 20 minutes to play to help protect the lead.
Rodrigo equalized in the 29th minute with a free kick that he sent from the side of the defensive barrier, and injured goalkeeper Yassine Bounou by surprise. Eric Lamela almost put Sevilla back in front when he hit the post in the 36th minute.
Rodrigo scored his second goal in the 69th minute after the Brazilian striker received a ball from Toni Kroos on the counter-attack and used a small change of foot to slip past defender Gonzalo Montiel before beating Bono.
The win left Madrid in second place and Sevilla in 10th with one game to go. Barcelona clinched the title three rounds ago.
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