Zinedine Zidane reserves special words for Hazard, Bale and James

Sergio Ramos made an important return to the Real Madrid starting eleven to help Los Merengues record a fine 1-0 win at Sevilla’s Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan but Zidane reserved special praise for the trio of Eden Hazard, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez for their defensive work.

Real Madrid have claimed their first clean sheet at Sevilla in 17 seasons, leaving coach Zidane singing the praises of not just the defenders and goalkeeper but also the midfielders and forwards for helping to grind out the narrow victory.

Los Blancos’ 1-0 win over Sevilla, which Zidane has labelled as the team’s best performance since he returned as coach in March, arrived via a Karim Benzema’s 64th minute header.

“Firstly, I’m happy,” Zidane said.

“We put in a great display for 90 minutes at a tough ground.

“I have to congratulate all my players.

“It’s a collective win and I’m happy for everyone.

“It’s the game that has satisfied me the most since I returned.

“Everyone on the pitch helped out.

“We had difficult moments, but there was a noticeable solidarity in these moments.

“You have to play well for the full 90 minutes at a place like this.”

Benzema continued his fine goalscoring run with his latest strike against Sevilla taking him to joint-top in LaLiga Santander scorers chart with five goals

“He’s given us the win again, but all the players [were important],” Zidane added.

“We defended well and we read the game very well tactically.”

The likes of Eden Hazard, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez all put a lot of effort into their defensive duties.

“We know that we can create chances, but everyone’s defensive work has been the key to winning,” Zidane said.

“Those three in particular did a lot of defending.

“In a difficult match like today, everyone has to do it.”