Real Madrid opened the year of 2017 with a 3-0 convincing victory against Sevilla on the first leg of Copa Del Rey's round of 16 in Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday. Colombian midfielderJames Rodriguez scored twice and it was enough to prove El Real manager Zinedine Zidane that the player deserves a spot in the main team.

Playing as a host, Madrid put pressure on the Andalusian club from the very beginning. And Rodriguez broke the deadlock after ten minutes by scoring a 20-yard stunning shot from the edge of the box following good pressure from Casemiro.

Madrid could have won bigger if the efforts from Morata and Modric had been successful. While the host continued to dominate the match, Raphael Varane scored the second goal from a corner. He was left unmarked while scoring.

While Iborra missed the opportunity to score a goal for the visiting team.

Rodriguez sealed Madrid's victory by scoring a bit dubious penalty. The Colombian whose performance at the 2014 World Cup attracted world's famous soccer clubs, managed to take over Ronaldo's task as a penalty taker. Zidane decided to rest Ronaldo as the club will need the Portuguese's service in upcoming important matches.

However, Madrid's victory was not without any controversies. Sevilla believed that the host team had not deserved a penalty as Luca Modric's fall was not because he was pushed by a Sevilla's Mariano,but by a collision with teammate Rodriguez, AS reported.

Madrid had to deal with injury problems as defenders Sergio Ramos and Pepe also missed the match due to muscle injury. Ramos will likely return on the second leg held at Ramos Sanchez Pizjuan stadium on January 12, 2017. While Pepe is still recovering from muscle injury as the hospital's side still continues to assess the recovery process.

Rodriguez is rumored to leave Bernabeu this January as some reports link him with European powerhouses such as Chelsea or Inter Milan, ESPN reported. This is because he has been rarely played by Zidane.

But, his important goals against Sevilla makes him feel more optimistic. He kept saying that he will be staying in Madrid and is willing to contribute to the team.

Meanwhile, Zidane praised his squad, saying his team played"almost perfect" despite missing some key players.