Brazil forward Vinícius Júnior struck the only goal as Real Madrid, under manager Álvaro Arbeloa, edged Sevilla 1-0 in their final away LaLiga fixture of a challenging campaign at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán.
The result came amid mounting scrutiny on club president Florentino Pérez and growing speculation that former boss José Mourinho could return to the Santiago Bernabéu in the summer.
Vinícius, who now has 22 goals this season, netted the decisive strike in the 15th minute to secure a second straight league win for Madrid after last weekend’s El Clásico defeat confirmed Barcelona as champions.
France forward Kylian Mbappé returned to the starting XI for the first time in nearly a month, one of seven changes made by Arbeloa, after being jeered during a substitute appearance in midweek.
Sevilla began brightly and controlled the opening exchanges, but they were punished when Brahim Díaz released a forward pass that Mbappé cushioned into Vinícius’s path, with the Brazilian calmly finishing into the bottom-right corner.
The match was briefly paused midway through the first half as referee José María Sánchez Martínez spoke to both captains following an incident involving Vinícius and sections of the home support.
Sevilla, who had eased their relegation worries with recent strong form, created several first-half openings but failed to convert their pressure into goals.
Real almost doubled their lead when Aurélien Tchouaméni saw a shot blocked, while Antonio Rüdiger also stood firm to deny Sevilla substitute Alexis Sánchez.
Mbappé later came close twice—first being denied by a last-ditch challenge from Kike Salas, then sending a close-range effort over the bar after a Vinícius assist.
Late on, substitute Franco Mastantuono struck the base of the post as Madrid pushed for a second goal, before Mbappé had a goal ruled out for offside after rounding goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos.
Sevilla rarely threatened in the closing stages, although Thibaut Courtois was forced into a sharp added-time save from Salas to preserve Madrid’s narrow win, achieved with just a single shot on target.
Despite the defeat ending their short winning run, Sevilla’s top-flight status was effectively secured thanks to results elsewhere involving Girona and Elche.
Real Madrid now head into their final home fixture against Athletic Bilbao, a match widely expected to be Arbeloa’s last in charge as speculation over Mourinho’s possible return continues to build.
