Real Madrid end winless run through own goal from Sevilla

Pressure eases on Zinedine Zidane after successive setbacks

Real Madrid's Vinicius Jr celebrates his team's winner - courtesy of an own goal - against Sevilla at the Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium on Saturday, December 6. EPA

Real Madrid's players celebrate their goal against Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium. AP

Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, second right, and Raphael Varane centre top, fights for the ball with Sevilla's Fernando and Diego Carlos, left. AP

Real Madrid's goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois at the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium. EPA

Real Madrid's Casemiro on Saturday. Reuters

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane at the Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium. EPA

Real Madrid's Karim Benzema, left, challenges for the ball with Sevilla's Jules Kounde. AP

Sevilla's Luuk de Jong, top, vies for the ball with Real Madrid's Casemiro. AP

Jules Kounde of Sevilla FC takes a shot under pressure from Karim Benzema. Getty

Sevilla FC's Jesus Navas with Real Madrid's Ferland Mendy. EPA

Real Madrid's Raphael Varane at the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium. EPA

Real Madrid secured an unconvincing 1-0 victory at Sevilla on Saturday thanks to an own goal from keeper Bono to snap a three-game winless run in La Liga and ease the pressure on coach Zinedine Zidane.

The only goal came in the 56th minute when Bono attempted to claim a low cross from Ferland Mendy towards Vinicius Jr. but completely missed the ball, which bounced off his leg and trickled into the net.

Sevilla dominated the remainder of the game and nearly equalised with a free kick from Nemanja Gudelj which brushed the side netting, a curling strike from Suso which just missed the top corner and an acrobatic effort from Lucas Ocampos which Thibaut Courtois tipped away.

Madrid arrived in Seville with Zidane under fire after the team had won only one of their last five matches in all competitions. They had lost two of their last three league games, including 2-1 against Alaves at home last weekend.

Real and Sevilla were coming off tough losses in the Champions League — Madrid lost 2-0 at Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday, while Sevilla were routed 4-0 at home by Chelsea on Wednesday.

Los Blancos had never gone four straight matches without a win in the league under Zidane.

Real had the most significant chances in the first half, being stopped by a few good saves from Bono. The hosts almost opened the scoring with a bicycle kick from striker Luuk de Jong in the 52nd, but three minutes later Vinicius Jr helped put Real on the board after a cross by Mendy from the left flank. The Brazilian forward redirected the ball with a soft touch and it hit Bono before going into the goal.

Lucas Ocampos nearly equalised with an 85th-minute volley which Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois did well to save.

Zidane again couldn’t count on Eden Hazard and Sergio Ramos because of injuries. Sevilla lost forward Munir El-Haddadi because of an apparent muscle injury just before halftime.

Meanwhile, Levante won 3-0 at home against Getafe, who finished the match with nine men after the sending off of Jose Manuel Rodriguez in the seventh minute and Djene Dakoman in the 77th.

Levante, who had drawn their last five matches 1-1 and were in the relegation zone, scored with Roger Marti in the fifth minute, Dani Gomez in the 17th and Jorge de Frutos in the 57th. The club from Valencia hadn’t won in eight straight matches.