Carlo Ancelotti admits he was impressed by how his Real Madrid stars adapted to losing Karim Benzema against Celtic - and insists they've now set a high bar going forward.
The La Liga giants' talisman was forced off with an injury during the first half of their 3-0 Champions League victory in Glasgow on Tuesday night. The lesser-seen Hazard, beset by fitness problems over the past year, was introduced as a false nine in the superstar Frenchman's absence and proved instrumental in the European champions securing victory.
He played a role in Madrid's first two goals before being rewarded for his efforts with a simple tap-in for their beautifully worked third. Hazard is set to continue in his role at the top of Ancelotti's attack against Mallorca on Sunday as the Los Blancos boss praised his team for reacting to their captain's injury in seamless fashion. The Italian boss said: "Hazard played against Celtic and he’ll do the same tomorrow. I hope he can put in a repeat performance.
"Injuries happen. Benzema had a small issue against Celtic and he was out for a while in December last year too and we managed to replace him just fine. The team played brilliantly without him against Celtic, especially up top, and I hope to see more of the same tomorrow”.
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