Real Madrid won its first trophy of the 2014-15 season after defeating Sevilla 2-0 in the UEFA Super Cup.

Here are some observations from the first major game of the season:

James Rodriguez Made a Decent Debut

The big story of the summer was Rodriguez's performance in the World Cup and his subsequent move from Monaco to Real Madrid. The transfer was met with mixed reception, as some wondered what he would add to an already lethal offense.

His first few touches were tentative at best and he even made a huge mistake on defense late in the first half that forced Iker Casillas to make a huge save. He was admittedly put in a position defensively, but he did little to help his team.

He did have plays on offense, including a terrific cross to Gareth Bale that was stopped by Beto. His dead ball placement was terrific throughout and he even had a glorious opportunity to score that was hit away by Beto.

He finished the night with an 86 percent pass success.

Toni Kroos was Terrific in First Appearance

If Rodriguez was decent, Kroos was marvelous.

The German connected passes for Madrid with relative ease and unlocked their ferocious counter on a number of occasions. According to WhoScored, he had 100 touches and connected on a whopping 96 percent of his passing attempts. He made no visible mistakes and was all over the pitch at opportune moments.

Cristiano Ronaldo Is Fit

There were a lot of concerns over Ronaldo's fitness heading into this game. Is the knee still bothering him? Will he be displaced by Gareth Bale as the team's top star? Ronaldo answered those questions with a resounding performance.

He scored two tremendous goals, but his play was highlighted by a willingness to backtrack constantly and keep Madrid's passing rhythm alive. There were moments of surprising unselfishness from the superstar. His star moment actually came early in the first half when he took a Karim Benzema pass, cut in past the defense and found himself alone with goalkeeper Beto. He did not score, but the play showed that he was in top form.

He seemed to play well with Rodriguez on the left flank and had tremendous chemistry with Bale on the long balls. This could be an even better year for the Portuguese superstar.

Beto Stars for Sevilla 

Yes, there were two teams in this contest. But for most of the encountered, only Real Madrid looked competitive.

Los Blancos ran at the brittle Sevilla defense with abandon and managed a grand total of 19 shots on goal. Seven of them were target.

The game could have easily ended 4-0 or 5-0 if not for the performance of Beto. The Portuguese keeper shut down his countrymen Ronaldo early in the game. He made another decisive stop of Benzema in the second half before denying Rodriguez with one hand. He also had a tremendous save on Bale late in the game to keep the score at 2-0.

It is worth noting that Madrid got some timely goaltending at the other end, as well. Iker Casillas, who has been in questionable form, made a couple of great stops to keep his team ahead. He made no notable mistakes and was constantly in communication with the defense to make adjustments.

Real Madrid Backline Could Be a Problem

The game was far from perfect for the champions, however. Madrid's backline looked suspect throughout and often made glaring mistakes that would have been capitalized on by a better team. Sergio Ramos had a horrific game and was constantly caught out of position. Pepe was better, but not by much. Dani Carvajal and Fabio Coentrao were great moving forward, but not so much tracking back.

It will be interesting to see whether there is improvement at the back as the team readjusts to Casillas and gets back in form.

Watch Highlights HERE.

For the latest sports news, follow Latin Post Sports on Twitter.  

AND 
FOR MORE SOCCER NEWS AND SOCCER TRANSFER UPDATES, CLICK ON THIS LINK TO VISIT LATIN POST.COM'S SPORTS PAGE.