Just when Real Madrid fans thought things would get ugly for them in their visit to Celtic Park, Eden Hazard came off the bench to show them some of the skills that made him one of the best in the business.
The Belgian ace stepped up to fill the void left by Karim Benzema with one of his best performances for Los Merengues since he joined them in 2019, as he had a hand in all of the team's goals this evening.
Hazard started the counter-attack that ended with Vinicius' opening goal of the evening with a through ball to Fede Valverde. Then, he dribbled past three Celtic defenders to hand out an assist for Luka Modric. Last, but certainly not least, Hazard linked up once more with Dani Carvajal to score his first goal of the season.
That goal by Hazard was preceeded by 33 touches by his team-mates, which represents the largest build-up to any of Los Blancos' goals in the tournament since 2003. Moreover, this goal by Hazard ended a couple of unflattering droughts for the footballer.
Hazard finally put an end to a disappointing run of two years without a goal for Real Madrid. But if this stat is shocking, the next one will leave you astonished. With his goal today, Hazard ended a five-year wait for a UEFA Champions League goal scored in open play. His last goal in this tournament came in 2017, something that can be deemed as unacceptable for a player of his caliber.
Watch Hazard's goal against Celtic (Image might be geo-restricted).
Eden Hazard scores his first UCL goal from open play in 5 years. pic.twitter.com/tpwca3oaHt
— UCL on Paramount+ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 6, 2022
