Karim Benzema stopped Real Madrid’s underwhelming La Liga season going from bad to worse on Sunday after firing a last-minute winner to hand the European champion a barely-deserved 3-2 winner over bottom club Huesca.
Humbled by Ajax in the Champions League and dumped out of the Copa Del Rey by Barcelona, third-placed Real showed little signs of improvement in Zinedine Zidane’s second game in charge but Benzema, subject to rumours he may leave Madrid in the summer for Manchester United, struck with a fine curling finish to snatch the three points at a sparsely populated Santiago Bernabeu.
Zidane’s son Luca was given his second ever start between the sticks for Real but got off to the worst possible start, picking the ball out of his own net within three minutes after Cucho Hernandez lashed home Ezequiel Avila low cross.
Isco levelled the scores in the 25th minute when he tapped home a Brahim Diaz cross after Benzema’s low shot was well saved, but it was the away side — playing its first ever La Liga game at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium — which went closer going into the break ahead.
Zidane junior had to be alert to stop Damian Musto from glancing home a header nine minutes before the break, while Avila punched the ground in frustration in first half stoppage time after flashing a power shot over from the edge of the box.
Real continued to disappoint in the second half but took the lead just after the hour mark thanks to Dani Ceballos, who bundled home the second.
Bale then missed a glorious opportunity to put the game beyond Huesca when he somehow put Alvaro Odriozola’s low cross over the bar from just yards out.
Huesca pounced on that awful miss to draw level when Xabier Etxeita powered home Moi Gomez’s cross from a short corner.
However, Benzema was on hand to break Huesca hearts with his 14th league goal of the season.
The results: Premier League: Liverpool 2 (Firmino 16, Alderweireld 90-og) bt Tottenham 1 (Lucas 70).
La Liga: Real Madrid 3 (Isco 25, Dani Ceballos 62, Benzema 89) bt Huesca 2 (Cucho Hernandez 3, Etxeita 74); Valladolid 1 (Keko Gontan 9) drew with Real Sociedad 1 (Oyarzabal 79); Sevilla 0 lost to Valencia 1 (Parejo 45-pen).
Serie A: Bologna 2 (Pulgar 68-pen, Destro 90+6) bt Sassuolo 1 (Boga (90+2); Inter Milan 0 lost to Lazio 1 (Milinkovic-Savic 13).
Bundesliga: Eintracht Frankfurt 3 (Kostic 45, 64, Jovic 84) bt Stuttgart 0.
