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Watch: Sevilla's 92nd-minute goal ends Real Madrid's unbeaten run at 40 games
by

Carlo Campo

CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP / Getty

Done. Over. Finito.

On Sunday, by virtue of a thrilling comeback that resurrected the title race in La Liga, Sevilla defeated Real Madrid 2-1 at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, bringing an end to Los Blancos’ unbeaten run which stood at a Spanish record of 40 fixtures in all competitions.

Real Madrid looked set to add a 41st match to its undefeated streak until deep into the second half. Then, in the 85th minute, a free-kick from Pablo Sarabia forced Sergio Ramos to act on the ball, and the Spanish centre-back ended up throwing his former club a lifeline, deflecting the ball into his own net to bring the match level.

Riding a wave of momentum, Sevilla then achieved the unthinkable in the 92nd minute. Stevan Jovetic, who only joined the Andalusian club five days ago and also scored on his debut, produced a 25-yard curler that Keylor Navas got a hand to but couldn’t stop from landing in the back net.

Just like that, Real Madrid’s unbeaten run was over, Los Blancos losing their first game since April of last year, when VfL Wolfsburg beat the Spanish club 2-0 in the first leg of a Champions League tie.

Only three days ago, it was a very different scene at Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan as Sevilla hosted Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey. Jorge Sampaoli’s side was on the verge of ending Los Blancos’ undefeated streak until the 93rd minute, when Karim Benzema dribbled his way through Clement Lenglet and Sergio Escudero, and slotted the ball past David Soria. The 3-3 draw resulted in Zinedine Zidane’s side advancing to the tournament’s quarter-finals with a 6-3 victory on aggregate and setting the unbeaten record.

It might be hard to believe, but TSG 1899 Hoffenheim is now the only club from European football’s top five leagues yet to lose a league match this season.

NFL

Falcons prepare for Patriots — and avoiding controversy at Super Bowl media circus

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Cornerback Josh Norman wore a wrestling mask and got into a heated debate with Hall-of-Fame-player-turned-television-analyst Deion Sanders about a regular-season incident with New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham.

Quarterback Cam Newton turned a towel into a bandanna. And when asked if he was the LeBron James of the NFL, Newton said, “Why can’t LeBron be the Cam Newton of power forwards?”

He also defended a comment made the previous week about his success as an African-American quarterback because it “may scare a lot of people because they haven’t seen nothing they can compare me to.”

This was the NFC champion Carolina Panthers at Super Bowl 50 media night a year ago.

Don’t expect the same type of colorful comments from New England and Atlanta at Super Bowl LI’s media night on Monday, particularly from the Falcons.

Second-year Atlanta coach Dan Quinn tried last week to get ahead of the media circus his players will face in Houston by simulating some of the crazy questions they may get.

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As he reminded them, “the media can only jam you up if you allow it too.”

“We want to make sure our responsibility is to each other, and that’s one of the fun parts of our team,” Quinn said on Wednesday.

In other words, he wanted no bulletin board material and no quotes that will take the focus off the team’s preparation for the game.

Judging by the comments players made at the practice facility, Quinn’s message came in loud and clear. You couldn’t have found a more polite — or boring — group.

“You don’t want to be that guy [who] gives bullets and bulletin board material,” Atlanta defensive end Tyson Jackson said. “You’ve got to understand the question that’s asked, and if there’s anything you don’t feel comfortable answering, you can pass.”

“You just want to keep it as even-keeled as possible.”

Jackson doesn’t think the Falcons intentionally were boring last week as much as they were careful. He still believes players can show their personality without saying outrageous things or dealing with outrageous topics.

“Everybody will have their own way to approach the media,” Jackson said. “But looking back at past Super Bowls, there are some insane questions being asked out there. You’ve got to be prepared.”

Jackson admitted it was fun coming up with questions to anticipate, although there were none he wanted to share.

“The questions that have been asked in previous Super Bowls you are [thinking], ‘Wow! Why would they ask that? It has nothing to do with the Super Bowl,'” he said. “I’m pretty sure all 63 guys in the locker room are prepared for what’s out there for us. I know I trust them.

“The Super Bowl is a media circus, so you’ve just got to get ready for it.”

Soccer

Louis van Gaal intends to retire after 30-year managerial career

Fabled Dutch manager Louis van Gaal is reportedly set to retire from coaching after a 30-year career despite receiving a £44-million offer to manage in Asia, according to the Guardian.

The Ex-Manchester United boss has been out of work since leaving in May of 2016 and being replaced by Jose Mourinho, and says that he is now ready to call it a day, citing his family as the reason for his decision.

“I could go there, but I’m still here,” Van Gaal said of a possible overseas move. “So much has happened in my family.”

After leaving Old Trafford, Van Gaal suggested he would look for work elsewhere but has seemingly reconsidered as the Guardian reports, by way of Dutch newspaper the Telegraaf, that the death of his daughter’s husband has changed his mind.

“I thought maybe I would stop, then I thought it would be a sabbatical, but now I do not think I will return to coaching,” he said, as quoted by the Guardian.

The former Netherlands, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Ajax manager has enjoyed a long and trophy-laden coaching career, where he won the Dutch Eredivisie four times with two clubs, La Liga twice, the Bundesliga once, as well as an FA Cup with United, among other pieces of silverware.

He also guided Holland to a third-place finish in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

NFL

Sources: New Colts GM will retain Pagano for '17

New Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard intends to keep Chuck Pagano in 2017 before re-evaluating the coach for the 2018 season, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

While Colts owner Jim Irsay announced Jan. 21 that Pagano would return next season, there was some belief that Ballard would choose to dismiss Pagano and hire his own coach. Instead, the new general manager appears content to give Pagano one more season to prove himself.

Ballard’s hiring was announced Sunday. The former Kansas City Chiefs director of football operations is replacing Ryan Grigson, who was fired after the Colts had consecutive 8-8 seasons and missed the playoffs.

“Chris has a solid reputation throughout the National Football League as a heavyweight executive and our extensive discussions with him confirmed that reputation,” Irsay said in a statement released by the team Sunday. “He’s a savvy, organized, and thorough talent evaluator, but beyond that, he’s a terrific person our community will be proud of.”

Irsay had announced his decision to retain Pagano on the same day he fired Grigson.

The Colts will have more than $50 million in salary-cap space during free agency to build around quarterback Andrew Luck and talented skill position players such as receivers T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief. Ballard will look to improve a defense that finished 30th overall this season and tied for 19th in sacks with just 33.

A news conference to introduce Ballard is set for 4:15 p.m. ET Monday.

Information from ESPN staff writer Mike Wells contributed to this report.

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