La Liga: Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui laments lack of urgency against Seville

Andre Silva and Wissam Ben Yedder scored 3 goals in the first half as Real conceded three league goals before the break for the first time since 2003

Pic Courtesy: Reuters

Real Madrid coach Julen Lopetegui has bemoaned the side`s inability to carry out his game plan of pressing their opponents high up the pitch after they crashed to a limp 3-0 La Liga defeat at Sevilla on Wednesday.

Sevilla blitzed the European champions with Portuguese striker Andre Silva and Wissam Ben Yedder scoring 3 goals in the first half as Real conceded three league goals before the break for the first time since 2003.

FT: #SevillaFC 3-0 @realmadriden

The referee brings an end to a historic night in Nervión. #SevillaFCRealMadrid #vamosmisevilla pic.twitter.com/hCIWw2jTFG — Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) September 26, 2018

"We didn`t play as we wanted and we paid for it in the first half, conceding two goals in quick succession. We came here with a plan of pressing them and we didn`t do it as we`d have liked to, that`s clear," Lopetegui told a news conference."In the second half, we matched them for play and had chances but couldn`t score. In the end, you can say it was a very bad performance from us and a very good one from Sevilla."

Real`s sixth defeat in seven league visits to Sevilla`s Sanchez Pizjuan stadium also prevented Lopetegui`s side from taking advantage of title rival Barcelona`s unexpected 2-1 defeat at struggling Leganes. Real have three days to recover from the humbling defeat before Saturday`s crunch local derby against Atletico Madrid, who have climbed up the table on the back of two straight wins.

"It was a difficult game and in the first half they played with more intensity and we could not match them," Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said. "The derby is a huge game and you never want to lose it, the pressure always exists in those games and the fact that we lost today doesn`t change that. We have to lift ourselves up, prepare for Saturday and try to win."