September 07, (THEWILL) – A partisan crowd and an injury to star striker, Karim Benzema, did nothing to halt Real Madrid’s winning run, as they started their UEFA Champions League defence with a statement 3-0 victory against Celtic.
The record-extending 15th European Cup run of Los Blancos appeared put on hold when Benzema suffered a knee injury 30 minutes into Tuesday’s opening tie. At that point, Callum McGregor had already hit the post for Celtic, who were now back in the group stage after a four-season absence.
Celtic continued to pose problems for their opponents, but as they frequently did last season, the champions found a way to win due to early goals from Vinicius Junior and Luka Modric. Eden Hazard, in for Benzema, also scored a superb third goal to complete the comeback.
Celtic had a chance to get a goal on the score board as, off the bench, Sead Haksabanovic, added bite to the front line, forcing Courtois to make a good stop at his near post. But, Real did enough to hold on to preserve a clean sheet and take all three points.
In their next match on Saturday, at home in the Scottish Premiership, Celtic will play again against Livingston and the following day, Real will host Mallorca at home in La Liga.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
