Real Madrid held their nerve to beat Osasuna 2-0 in La Liga on Saturday as Eden Hazard made his first start since January, raising the poss...
Real Madrid held their nerve to beat Osasuna 2-0 in La Liga on Saturday as Eden Hazard made his first start since January, raising the possibility of Zinedine Zidane picking him for Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg against Chelsea.
After making a brief cameo off the bench in the first leg last week, Hazard played 72 minutes at Valdebebas and could now face his former club from the start in the pivotal return game at Stamford Bridge.
“He was very good,” said Zidane. “He played close to Karim (Benzema), they tried things and I was very happy with him.”
Real Madrid have it all to do against Chelsea after drawing the opener 1-1 and they are playing catch-up in La Liga too, after Atletico Madrid had earlier scraped to a 1-0 victory against struggling Elche.
Elche’s Fidel Chaves missed a 91st-minute penalty in what could prove a pivotal moment in Spain’s thrilling title race, with Atletico maintaining their two-point lead over Real Madrid and stretching the advantage to five over Barcelona.
Barca travel to Valencia on Sunday while Sevilla, who are now six points back, play their game in hand on Monday against Athletic Bilbao.
“We’re entering a defining period and each victory is a very important step,” said Atletico coach...
