The Frenchman had not celebrated a goal since October 19, in the win against bottom club Elche (0-3)
The Frenchman had only played 26 minutes in this time, in the Champions League group stage against Celtic (5-1)
Karim Benzema reappeared after his controversial loss in the World Cup in Qatar. Officially, due to an injury on the eve of the start of the tournament. He later revealed that it was due to the bad relationship he had with his coach, Didier Deschamps.
Be that as it may, the point is that the French striker had not set foot on a pitch for 58 days. 71 if we ignore the testimonials 26 minutes that he played in the Champions League group stage against Celtic (5-1), between injury and injury. And that was the time that he had also not seen a door. His last goal was scored in the away win against Elche (0-3), just after being affected by muscular discomfort that already kept him in the dry dock until his call-up for the World Cup.
Benzema was far from his best form in this return to domestic competition. He even missed a sung goal in the first half. But ended up signing a double thanks to a controversial penalty and a ride from Eduardo Camavinga that gave him the goal on a platter. The Frenchman already has eight goals this season, seven of them in the League.
Courtois’s first clean sheet
And if Benzema was reunited with the goal, his teammate Thibaut Courtois kept his clean sheet for the first time in the league so far. The Belgian had been under the sticks in ten games and in all of them he had conceded. The only two games that Real Madrid had won without conceding were with Andrij Lunin, at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez, against Getafe (0-1) and at the Martínez Valero, in the already mentioned win against Elche. Courtois was decisive in yesterday’s victory with two saves against Angulo and Sergio León.