3 things we learned from Real Madrid's victory over Sevilla

Next up on Real Madrid's fixture list: A date with Barcelona at the Camp Nou.

While nearly every Madridista holds the hope that Real Madrid can make a late run at the title, Los Blancos needed to sweep aside Sevilla before prepping for El Clásico. Zidane's men did just that overwhelming the Andalusia side, scoring four goals while keeping a clean sheet in the process.

Momentum is certainly in Real Madrid's favor heading forward but first let's look at what we learned from Los Merengues all around exemplary performance:

Bale's ceiling is sky high

Gareth Bale is impressive but imagine the performances he'd put in if Cristiano Ronaldo wasn't in the team and the Welshman played in his natural position. Real Madrid's present is a star-studded balancing act between their past and future. While Cristiano seized the crown with his record breaking transfer in 2009, Bale is the heir to the throne and patiently awaits his turn.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid's No. 11 is busy rewriting honored precedents set by legendary Brits before him. Sunday evening, Bale broke Gary Lineker's La Liga scoring record tallying his 43rd goal is just 75 appearances. The Leicester City legend previously reached 42 goals in 103 matches while playing with Barcelona.

27 fewer games too, Jugs - and Bale's not even a striker. https://t.co/Z4t9XNB1h9

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) March 20, 2016

Now imagine the mark Bale could reach when he's set free following Cristiano's inevitable departure someday.

Benzema the king

Karim Benzema continues to repay Real Madrid for their dedication and confidence in the striker. While the Frenchman's hopes of playing in Euro 2016 remain up in the air, Los Blancos have assured Benzema that he's their striker amidst allegations. After returning from injury, Zidane inserted Benzema back into the starting 11 and the striker reciprocated the favor six minutes in, hitting a screamer into the top corner.

GOOOOOOOOOOOAL!
Le Cat @Benzema with a missile we had to slo-mo it to see it. It's 1-0 already. #RMAvSFC https://t.co/LetkREdjyj

— beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) March 20, 2016

Additionally, Benzema out-performed his French counterpart Kevin Gameiro who's likely to benefit in the upcoming Euros if Benzema doesn't travel with France. Gameiro has played well this season scoring 13 in La Liga but thanks to Keylor Navas, Sevilla's striker appeared substandard Sunday. An opportunity to impress Didier Deschamps went astray while Benzema took advantage of his opportunity.

Zidane delivers in "big" game

There's this aura that hovers around the Santiago Bernabéu that Zinedine Zidane hasn't proved himself in big games yet. At least in La Liga.

The Frenchman guided Real Madrid to a place in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals last week and now faces a difficult test in making up lost ground in the league. Arguably the most noteworthy matchup Zidane claimed victory in outside Europe was Real Madrid's four goal showing against Athletic.

While Los Blancos dropped three points in a crucial battle with cross-town rivals Atletico Madrid just under a month ago, the dismantling of Sevilla calms Madridistas' nerves. Zidane's crew now sit 10 points behind league leaders Barcelona with a pivotal El Clásico matchup in two weeks time. The odds that Real Madrid usurp Barcelona in the table aren't promising but crazier events have occurred - just look over in England.