Glasgow, September 7 (BNA): Real Madrid scored a 3-0 victory over Celtic in the opening match of Group F of the Champions League, Tuesday, but it came at a cost as striker Karim Benzema lost due to a knee injury in the first half.
Vinicius Jr., Luka Modric and Eden Hazard all scored in the second half for defending champions Real at Celtic Park who ran out of tickets although they sometimes took advantage of their luck as the Scottish side turned down a number of chances.
The hosts enjoyed a great start, creating many chances in front of their fans but couldn’t find that killer instinct in front of goal and were punished by the champions 14 times.
Celtic’s Lil Abada had two chances early on after passing near the left post of Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Callum McGregor’s long-range shot hit the post in the 20th minute, and a few minutes later a low cross from Rio Hattat almost ended as a goal by Eder Militao, who missed the clearance.
Real’s Federico Valverde hit a cross that went wide of the goal in the 30th minute, but when play stopped, Karim Benzema leaned on his right knee asking for medical attention.
The French striker, who was visibly in pain, was replaced by Hazard in the 30th minute and ran off the field straight into the Real Madrid dressing room.
“We will wait for the tests tomorrow, but the first impression from our medical staff is that it is nothing serious,” Movistar Plus technical director Carlo Ancelotti said of Benzema.
Vinicius had a chance for Real on the counter just before the break but Joe Hart turned it down with a fine stop.
They also lost defender Eder Militao due to injury in the first half.
Celtic again made a quick start in the second half and substitute Daisen Maeda missed a golden opportunity when he received a perfect cross inside the penalty area but missed a wide-open shot close to the goal.
As difficult as things may have been for Real, he clinically ended the match by scoring three goals with only his three shots on target in the second half.
First, it was Vinicius who hit the net from close range from Valverde’s cross in the 56th minute.
Four minutes later, Modric extended the lead with a shot from inside the penalty area and Hazard finished the points in the 77th minute with a simple shot from close range from a crucial pass from Dani Carvajal.
“We didn’t expect an easy game at all,” Toni Kroos told Movistar Plus, “they beat Rangers, the Europa League finalist, 4-0 at the weekend. They are in a great moment as a team.”
“We needed to be patient and calm and wait for the right opportunities. Our experience played a key role.”
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