Real Madrid shrugged off the loss of Karim Benzema to an early injury as the holders got their defence of the Champions League off to a winning start with a 3-0 victory at Celtic. The Scottish champions were left to rue not making the most of a bright start as Callum McGregor rattled the post. However, the Hoops had no response once Vinicius Junior, scorer of the winner in last season’s final, broke the deadlock with a calm finish on 56 minutes. Four minutes later a nonchalant finish from Luka Modric with the outside of his foot doubled Madrid’s lead before Eden Hazard struck to continue a 100 percent start to the season for Carlo Ancelotti’s men. Celtic had begun the night with a perfect record this season, including a 4-0 demolition of local rivals and Europa League finalists Rangers on Saturday. But in their first Champions League group match for five years, Ange Postecoglou’s men were given a harsh lesson of the need to take their chances in the step up to the highest level in European football. Read the full match report here...
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