Real Madrid: 3 takeaways from an incredible bounce-back win over Alaves

Real Madrid did not score against Osasuna and could only muster one goal in back-to-back cup losses against Athletic Club and Alcoyano. But as the saying goes, a Zinedine Zidane-coached side does not lose three times in a row. Los Blancos got the job done against Deportivo Alaves on Saturday night, winning 4-1 at the Mendizorroza.

Here are three takeaways from Real’s impressive victory, in which they scored three goals in the first 45 minutes.

Eden Hazard steps up in a big way

Real Madrid needed a world-class performance from Eden Hazard after a few duds, and the Belgian superstar finally looked like a superstar. It was his best individual performance since the match against Huesca, in which Real also scored four goals (including a brace from Karim Benzema, as was the case at Alaves).

Hazard had a great dummy assist for Karim Benzema to make it 2-0, but his big highlight was his own goal – his second of the campaign. It wasn’t a banger from outside the box, but it was a world-class goal in a different way. Hazard’s first touch to control Toni Kroos’ pass over the otp was absolutely delicious and clear evidence of his class.

Hopefully, there will be more performances like this one from Hazard in the next five La Liga matches, which are also must-win for Madrid. It’s great to see him nearing his best.