Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane on Sunday urged his players to put the disappointment of their first loss in 40 games behind them after Sevilla produced a remarkable late turnaround to eke out a 2-1 victory.

Zidane's men looked set to extend their commanding lead at the top of the standings when Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring at Sanchez Pizjuan stadium from the penalty spot midway through the second-half.

But minutes later, Real captain Sergio Ramos delighted the home fans by heading into his own net in his return to his former club.

That set the stage for substitute Stefan Jovetic to curl home a dramatic stoppage time winner on his La Liga debut as Sevilla closed to within a point of Real.

Victory also takes Sevilla a point above Barcelona into second place, but Madrid still has a game in hand on both.

"I have to be very proud of them all for what we have done until now," Zidane told BeIN Sports Spain. "We knew this was going to happen some day, and now we have to continue working hard in all competitions."

Ramos received an even more hostile reception than normal in Seville after goading the ultras section of the crowd by scoring a late penalty in a 3-3 draw in the Copa del Rey between the sides as Real progressed 6-3 on aggregate on Thursday.

"There is no need to point the finger or apologize," said Ramos. "When we win, we all win and when we lose, it is the same. We couldn't kill the game off."

Zidane rejected any suggestion Ramos' concentration had been affected as he bulleted a header into his own net to inspire Sevilla's late comeback.

"He played great. I am very happy with how he did, he played with personality," said the coach.

Ramos was part of an unusual Madrid lineup with three at the back, but Zidane's tactical change worked well for 85 minutes.

Wingers Dani Carvajal and Marcelo were given extra license to roam forward and it was Carvajal who was chopped down in the area for Ronaldo's opener.

"They did very well; Dani and Marcelo offered a lot offensively," said Zidane. "It's a shame. To play like that for 85 minutes and then to lose is hard to take, but that's football."

By contrast, Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli claimed his side can cash in on the momentum gained by such a late turnaround to fuel its unlikely title challenge.

"It has to stimulate the team, playing like this against a team that hadn't lost in so long," said the Argentine.

Jovetic enjoyed a whirlwind week as the Montenegrin only completed a loan move until the end of the season from Inter Milan last Tuesday.

However, he netted in his debut against Real on Thursday and repeated the trick with a great tally from 25 yards two minutes into time added on.

"I couldn't imagine a better start," said Jovetic. "I want to offer the team what it needs to go as far as possible in the league and Champions League."