(Football news) Defending champions Real Madrid started the new season exactly where they left off last season as they defeated Celtic 3-0. A fully packed Celtic Park was rocking and noisy which resulted in a very good start from the home side. Celtic put a lot of pressure on Real Madrid at the early stages but they weren't clinical enough and managed to weather the storm. Los Blancos were handed a massive blow as Karim Benzema injured his knee in the 30th minute and had to go off. Despite having Rodrygo available on the bench, Ancelotti decided to bring on Hazard which turned out to be a good decision. Hazard settled into the game really well and played a big part in build ups and take ons. The first half was end to end as both teams were looking to attack but neither could create any clear chances.

Real Madrid took control of the game in the 2nd half and finally broke the deadlock in the 56th minute. Fede Valverde assisted Vinicius Jr almost identical to the Champions League final last season. Substitute Hazard then set up Luka Modric who floored two defenders before scoring with his trademark outside the boot shot. Hazard then scored one of his own after Dani Carvajal controlled Toni Kroos' cross field ball and played it across goal for the Belgian to tap in. Benzema's injury is surely a concern but in his absence Madrid played well which never used to happen in the past couple of seasons. Carlo Ancelotti himself said that he didn't expect this kind of performance from Hazard and it is surely the biggest takeaway from the game.

AC Milan were held to a 1-1 draw away at RB Salzburg. Milan lined up in their usual 4-2-3-1 with Olivier Giroud up front. It was the home side who landed the first blow in the 28th minute via Noah Okafor. Salzburg's lead lasted only 11 minutes as Milan equalised when Rafael Leao assisted Alexis Saelemaekers. Both sides had a couple of good chances to get the winner but the match ended 1-1. Milan's next match is against Dinamo Zagreb while Salzburg will be playing against Chelsea at the Stamford Bridge.

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