(Reuters) – Real Madrid claimed a 3-0 victory over Celtic in their Champions League Group F opener on Tuesday but it came at a cost as they lost forward Karim Benzema to a knee injury in the first half.
Celtic enjoyed an impressive start, creating several chances in front of their home fans but they were unable to find that killer instinct in front of goal.
Real, however, were clinical despite the injury to Benzema and killed the game by scoring three goals in their only three shots on target in the second half.
First it was Vinicius Jr who thumped home a close-range finish from a Federico Valverde cross in the 56th minute.
Four minutes later, Luka Modric extended the lead with a shot from inside the box and substitute Eden Hazard wrapped up the points in the 77th minute with a simple close finish from a fine assist by Dani Carvajal.
(Reporting by Fernando Kallas; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
