Real Madrid suffered their first defeat in 40 matches after losing to Sevilla.

Sevilla avenged their Copa del Rey defeat by beating Real Madrid 2-1 in their La Liga matchday 18 encounter.

Goals: Sergio Ramos 85' own goal, Jovetic 90'+2 - Ronaldo 67' penalty

After numerous matches where he played the hero with his signature header, center-back Sergio Ramos suddenly became the villain with another header. He made a mistake when jumping to clear the ball after a Sevilla free kick in the 85th minute. From Ramos's header, the ball not only failed to be cleared but went straight into the top corner of Real Madrid's goal, like a real goal.

Ramos' own goal not only negated Ronaldo's opening penalty but also initiated a lightning-fast comeback for Sevilla. Seven minutes later, striker Stevan Jovetic shone with a shot from outside the box that beat goalkeeper Keylor Navas. In this instance, Real's defense continued to make mistakes, allowing Sevilla to steal the ball from a throw-in.

Ramos headed the ball into his own net when victory was within Real's grasp. Photo: Reuters

Compared to their two Copa del Rey victories (3-0 and 3-3) in the previous matches, Real Madrid played more cautiously when they met Sevilla again in La Liga's 18th round. In the first half and the beginning of the second half, the league leaders didn't create many dangerous opportunities towards goalkeeper Sergio Rico's goal. Conversely, similar to what happened in the first 80 minutes of the second leg of the Copa del Rey round of 16 (leading 3-1), Sevilla successfully maintained pressure on Real's half. Goalkeeper Navas had to make at least two crucial saves.

Returning to the starting lineup after being rested in the Copa del Rey, Ronaldo failed to live up to fans' expectations. He appeared rushed in several attempts at goal and lacked composure when teammates were in better positions. In the 62nd minute, the score could have been 1-0 if Ronaldo had passed the ball more accurately to Benzema.

Nevertheless, Ronaldo still managed to score his second goal in two appearances since the start of 2017. In the 66th minute, defender Dani Carvajal earned a penalty after dribbling into the penalty area and being fouled by goalkeeper Rico. From the penalty spot, Ronaldo fired a powerful shot into the left corner of the net, giving Real Madrid the lead. This was also CR7's 12th goal of the 2016-2017 La Liga season, thus narrowing the gap to just two goals behind the two leading scorers, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.

Had Real Madrid maintained their 1-0 lead until the end of the match, they could have extended their unbeaten streak to 41 consecutive games. However, individual errors in the final 10 minutes forced Zidane's team to start over. Losing by two goals – one an own goal by Ramos and the other a misplaced throw-in – was unexpected for a team that had been winning convincingly since the end of 2016.

Following their defeat to Sevilla, Real Madrid continue to lead La Liga but are now only one point ahead of their rivals (40-39). Zidane's team could extend their lead to four points if they win against Valencia in their rescheduled match. Meanwhile, Barcelona are third with 38 points, and Atletico Madrid are fourth with 34 points.

According to VNE