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Real Madrid beat Fran Escriba's Elche 2-1 yesterday in La Liga, with a second-half brace from French striker Karim Benzema securing the win.
Zinedine Zidane's side are now 2nd in the league table, six points behind league leaders Atletico Madrid. It has not been smooth sailing this season for Real Madrid, and the game against Elche highlighted their deficiencies.
Centre-back Dani Calvo put Elche ahead in the second-half, but Benzema's heroics ensured a victory for Los Blancos. The Frenchman continues to be Real Madrid's most important player in attack, and has scored 15 goals in the league this season.
Zidane rested the likes of Luka Modric and Toni Kroos, with Federico Valverde and Isco starting the game. Kroos and Modric were brought on as substitutes later in the game, but apart from Benzema it was young Brazilian forward Rodrygo who played a crucial role.
The dependency on Benzema to lead the attack is that Brazilian midfielder Casemiro is Real Madrid's second-highest goalscorer this season, with five goals. Attackers like Eden Hazard and Vinicius Junior have struggled this season, with injuries playing a role as well.
Real Madrid will now turn their focus to the UEFA Champions League. They will face Gian Piero Gasperini's Atalanta on Tuesday for the second-leg of the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
Real Madrid 2-1 Elche Twitter reactions
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