The evening of January 4, at Madrid's Bernabéu Stadium.
The first match of 2017 was the first leg of the Copa del Rey's fifth round, with Real Madrid hosting Sevilla.
Playing at home, Real Madrid fielded an almost entirely reserve lineup, yet seized the initiative from the start and took the lead in the eleventh minute.
After Casemiro won the ball from Nzonzi in midfield, De Bruyne sent a diagonal pass to the far post. Asensio surged forward and tapped it home, scoring Real Madrid's opener.
In the twenty-ninth minute, Real Madrid won a corner. Varane headed a bouncing ball in from the edge of the six-yard box, piercing Sevilla's goal once again and extending Real Madrid's lead.
Just before halftime, Isco dribbled into the box and was shoved to the ground. The referee awarded a penalty, and Morata converted it.
After the teams switched sides, Sevilla tried to fight back, but they never managed to threaten Real Madrid's goal.
After the previous season's experience, Real Madrid's winter-break fitness training was more organized this season. The players trained in rotating groups, allowing nearly all the starters in this match to maintain excellent condition.
In the end, Real Madrid defeated Sevilla 3–0 at home.
After the match, the Spanish media were stunned by Real Madrid's three-goal home victory over Sevilla. It was not that they thought Real Madrid lacked the strength; rather, Real Madrid had fielded an almost entirely reserve lineup and still beaten Sevilla 3–0 at home. This showed everyone just how deep Real Madrid's bench was.
Alfredo, the editor-in-chief of AS, wrote in his column that even Real Madrid's reserve lineup was strong enough to challenge for the La Liga title. This also gave Real Madrid a solid foundation for advancing on multiple fronts at once.
After their three-goal