Three takeaways as Real Madrid pick apart Inter Milan

Real Madrid was in firm control against Inter Milan on Wednesday night from start to finish.

From the moment Eden Hazard put Real Madrid in front inside of seven minutes from the penalty spot, the result in matchday four of the Champions League was never in question.

The addition of an Arturo Vidal red card shortly after the half hour mark was all Los Blancos needed to move second in Group B. Here are the three takeaways from the important road win to gain some much-needed confidence.

Hazard and Odegaard show quality in the attack

The Belgian forward and the Norwegian midfielder were delightful all night for Los Blancos and without Karim Benzema leading the way and Lucas Vazquez slotting in on the right, things could not have gone much better for Zinedine Zidane.

Real might have tallied just one from open play, but the passing and creativity of Odegaard coupled with the brilliance of Hazard on the flank was something Madridistas had been waiting a long, long time to see.

Hazard worked his way into scoring opportunities on multiple occasions finishing with two shots on target, but most of all, his passing was a thing of beauty. His no look passing, give-and-go plays, and link up with the midfield is something this Real Madrid team has been desperately missing.

Meanwhile, it was the UCL debutant Martin Odegaard who created time and again. He had three key passes – one of which drew the penalty on Nacho Fernandez in the box – which equalled Luka Modric for most in the match. He also looked very comfortable playing in front of the Modric and Toni Kroos.

I don’t necessarily want to see Casemiro or Federico Valverde remain on the bench, but wow does Odegaard add a whole new dynamic to the Real Madrid attack.