Benzema's goals keeping Real Madrid going
Two goals and an assist for Asensio was Karim Benzema's contribution for Real Madrid today as they beat Celta 1-3. Madrid's forward line revolves around the Frenchman who is getting better with every passing day since Cristiano departed for Juventus three years ago. Bale left this season, Hazard has been plagued by injury, Vinicius needs to work on his finishing and both Asensio and Rodrygo blow hot and cold. Meantime Benzema is a constant, working hard in other areas of the pitch and executing chances that come his way with precision. Against Celta, the Galician side were daydreaming for the first goal and gifted him the second, but on both occasions the French striker took both chances that came his way.
Zidane's starting XI
For the game in Vigo, Zidane started with Asensio and Rodrygo on the bench with Lucas Vázquez playing at right back behind central player Fede Valverde. On the left flank, the French coach selected Vinicius, who once again carried out his role as a outlet of danger but ultimately an unproductive one. The Brazilian seems to hit the wall when he makes it into the opposing box, but still offers more attacking threat than the likes of Rodrygo and Asensio. The Mallorca born player did get a run-out and has managed to bag two goals in his past two outings but we still expect more from the 25-year-old.
The 1-3 scoreline does disguise the problems Madrid faced in the second half. Zidane's men were the better side in the first 45' and started to suffer from the moment Santi Mina headed home for the Galician side just before the interval. The second half saw a more lethargic Real Madrid as Celta probed looking for an equaliser. The home side went close and the side from the capital could only really relax in the 94th minute when Asensio tapped home into an empty net. Another vital three points with the team showing that the presence of Sergio Ramos may not be that decisive these days. An accomplished performance from Nacho with another solid display from Casemiro may be something that may just be being monitored by those in the Real Madrid boardroom.