- Eden Hazard made his debut as a 60th minute substitute for Casemiro
- Hazard had missed Real Madrid’s first three games with a thigh injury
- Madrid cruised to victory thanks to goals from Karim Benzema (2) and Casemiro
Eden Hazard made his long awaited debut as Real Madrid overcame a spirited Levante 3-2 to ease the pressure on Zinedine Zidane.
Hazard was named on the bench for the lunchtime clash after missing Madrid’s first three league fixtures after picking up a thigh injury following his £88.5 million move from Chelsea this summer.
In his absence, Madrid have made a disappointing start to the season, picking up just five points prior to the international break, and hadn’t tasted victory since beating Celta Vigo 3-1 on the opening day.
Eden Hazard made his debut as Real Madrid saw off a spirited Levante 3-2 on Saturday
Hazard was introduced as a 60th minute substitute in place of Casemiro with Madrid 3-1 up
Hazard showed flashes of his brilliance with several driving runs from deep positions
That disappointing start, on the back of a poor summer in the transfer market, which saw Zidane fail to land major target Paul Pogba and sell Gareth Bale after a drawn out public spat, left the Frenchman under pressure ahead of Saturday’s game.
But, as Madrid fans donned raincoats as the rain poured down over the Santiago Bernabeu, Zidane’s players lifted the doom and gloom with a vibrant and dominant display to kick-start the Frenchman’s second spell in charge.
After dominating possession in the early stages, Karim Benzema opened the scoring with a well taken header from a Dani Carvajal cross before the Frenchman made it 2-0 with a classy finish one-on-one with the goalkeeper.
Karim Benzema scored twice in the first half to put Madrid in control at the Bernabeu
Casemiro scored a rare goal from close range to make it 3-0 to Madrid at half-time
Levante equalised before Vinicius saw his 62nd minute goal disallowed for offside by VAR
Levante then made it 3-2 through Gonzalo Melero but Madrid held on to take all three points
With Brazilian forward Vinicius beating players at will and James Rodriguez pulling the strings in midfield, it was soon 3-0 as Casemiro finished off a fine passing move with a close range finish to leave Madrid in control at the break.
But as the sun emerged from behind the clouds at the start of the second half, Levante pulled a goal back through Borja Mayoral on 49 minutes, before Hazard was introduced in place of Casemiro on the hour mark.
Hazard was involved almost immediately in the build-up to Vinicius’ 62nd minute strike, but as Madrid celebrated, the referee signalled a VAR review which ruled James Rodriguez was offside inside the 18-yard box.
Victory eases the pressure on Zidane and moves Madrid up to second place in La Liga
That decision gave Levante hope and the visitors ensured a nervy finish when Gonzalo Merelo headed home a far post cross that Thibaut Courtois ought to have done better with as he failed to lay a glove on the ball as it flew inside his near post.
But, with the game all but over, Courtois redeemed himself in the 92nd minute with a brilliant diving save from a bullet header to save Madrid, ease the pressure on Zidane and ensure Hazard started his Blancos career with three points.
https://youtu.be/DSXRmMn-vLk
source:dailymail