Karim Benzema scored twice on Saturday in an outstanding performance for Real Madrid against I raised, although his team was waiting for a 3-2 victory the day Eden Hazard made his the league debut.
The goals of the French striker came with only six minutes apart in the first half on a wet afternoon at Santiago Bernabéu, before Casemiro put the Real 3-0.
However, I raised, who had won their previous two outings, made a fight of it in the second half as they pulled goals back through Borja Mayoral and Gonzalo Melero.
While the shape of his victory was not as convincing as coach Zinedine Zidane could have wished, it was a welcome return to the winning forms for Real after having tied his two previous games.
Hazard also came off the bench for the final half-hour to make his first appearance in the league after a thigh injury had interrupted the start of his Real career following his 100 million-euro ($110 million) move from Chelsea.
El belga ahora podría comenzar con el Real cuando vayan al Paris Saint-Germain para su partido inaugural de the league de Campeones el miércoles.
Gareth Bale will also be available for that game after the suspension kept him here, but Sergio Ramos will not be able to play against PSG due to a European ban.
Zidane was also without the Luka Modric wound here. However, like Hazard, summer partner Eder Militao left the bench in the second half and the former defender of Porto could start in Paris instead of Ramos.
Real would have won by a greater margin here if it had not been for a goalkeeper inspired by Aitor Fernandez, who produced an impressive one-handed stop to avoid a shot by Benzema from the edge of the area midway through the first half.
However, the hosts moved on shortly after when Dani Carvajal He raised a cross from the right for Benzema to shoot a header from the edge of the six-yard area.
The Frenchman struck again in the 31st minute, with James Rodriguez attacking when Sergio Postigo directed the ball towards his path and hit Benzema to score his quarter of the campaign.
Benzema also participated in the preparation of the third goal five minutes before the interval, which concluded with Vinicius Junior competing for Casemiro to apply the final.
I raised pulled one back in the 49th minute as Carlos Clerc crossed from the left to the near post where Mayoral — on loan from Real — converted.
Benzema then curled a shot against the post, while Vinicius had a goal disallowed for offside and Hazard tested Fernandez, but it was I raised who scored again.
This time, Melero’s substitute proved to be too strong for Carvajal in the distant position while heading on a wonderful cross by José Campana, but Madrid resisted.
Leaders, Atletico Madrid will seek their fourth win in as many the league games when they play later at Real Sociedad in the first game at the Basque club’s newly refurbished stadium.
Barcelona is also in action at home with Valencia, who this week fired coach Marcelino García Toral, replacing him with former Real Madrid assistant coach Albert Celades.
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