Vinicius Jr. fires Real Madrid past Sevilla as Mbappe returns to lineup

Vinicius Jr. settled Real Madrid’s latest hierarchy question in Seville, and he did it with a finish that carried more weight than the scoreline suggested. His 15th-minute strike gave Real Madrid a 1-0 away win over Sevilla at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium, while Kylian Mbappe returned to the starting lineup after being left out of the previous match in a move that had drawn controversy.

The goal itself captured the balance Madrid are trying to strike under Alvaro Arbeloa. Mbappe was back in the XI and involved immediately, chesting the ball down before laying it into Vinicius Jr., who drove a low finish into the bottom corner past Odysseas Vlachodimos. Mbappe did not score, but his inclusion altered the shape of the attack and reinforced the sense that Madrid’s front line is being organized around both reputation and form as much as fixed roles.

For Vinicius Jr., the winning moment was another reminder that he remains Madrid’s most reliable closer when margins are tight. For Arbeloa, it was a practical answer to the conversation around Mbappe’s omission a week earlier. Restoring a player of Mbappe’s profile to the starting XI signaled confidence in Madrid’s top-end talent, but the final touch still belonged to Vinicius Jr., whose decisive finishing continues to define Madrid in narrow league wins.

The result left Real Madrid second in LaLiga on 83 points, with Barcelona already crowned champions. Sevilla stayed 13th on 43 points with one match left, a position that leaves little room for comfort even after a home fixture that was competitive in stretches. Real Madrid’s starting lineup featured Thibaut Courtois, Daniel Carvajal, Antonio Rüdiger, Dean Huijsen, Fran García, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Jude Bellingham, Thiago, Brahim Diaz, Mbappe and Vinicius Jr., a blend that reflected both present urgency and long-term balancing.

Madrid now finish at home against Athletic Bilbao, and Sevilla close against Celta Vigo. The standings are already settled at the top, but the evidence from Seville was harder to quantify and more revealing: Real Madrid’s edge now comes not just from talent, but from how Arbeloa arranges it, and from whether Vinicius Jr. or Mbappe is the final voice in the attack.