Benzema saves Real Madrid the blushes

Madrid, April 1: Karim Benzema saved Real Madrid the blushes by scoring a superb late goal to snatch a 3-2 win at home to La Liga's bottom-ranked side Huesca and keep up coach Zinedine Zidane's perfect start since the Frenchman returned to the club.

Luka Modric, Raphael Varane and Marco Asensio were all left out of the matchday squad while Zidane picked his son Luca in goal ahead of Keylor Navas, handing him his first game for the first team in over 10 months.

He also gave a full debut to 19-year-old Brahim, who has barely featured since signing from Manchester City in January.

The last-gasp win left Madrid third in the standings with 57 points after 29 games, while second-placed Atletico Madrid have 59 and runaway leaders Barcelona are on 69 after their 2-0 win against Valencia in the much-hyped Catalan derby.

Earlier Atletico thrashed Alaves 4-0 to keep up the pace with the leaders

La Liga results | Points table

Huesca took a shock lead in the third minute of their first league visit to the Bernabeu when Cucho Hernandez smashed a cross from Ezequiel Avila past goalkeeper Luca Zidane, who was surprisingly brought into the team by his father.

Madrid drew level in the 25th when Isco knocked home a cross from full debutant Brahim Diaz to score for the second time in two games since being brought back into the team by Zidane, having been frozen out by former coach Santiago Solari.

Real went ahead after the hour mark with an acrobatic finish from close range by Dani Ceballos and Gareth Bale should have clinched victory when he slid in to meet a cross from a few metres out but somehow sent the ball over the bar.

Huesca were always threatening and seized their moment in the 74th with a short corner routine, Xabier Etxeita equalising with an unorthodox header.

But Madrid averted an embarrassing slip-up in Zidane's second game back at the Bernabeu thanks to his compatriot Benzema, who curled the ball into the top corner in the 89th.

"It was a crazy game but great for those who came to watch it," said Zidane.

Benzema wins it for Real Madrid in the 89th! #RealMadridHuesca 3-2 pic.twitter.com/a9PU2kGj2e

— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) March 31, 2019

We suffered a lot but you have to congratulate our opponents for how they played, they are bottom and they put in a great performance. They were causing us problems right until the end but we got a good result which we needed for our morale."

The defeat left Huesca rooted to the bottom of the table on 22 points, seven away from escaping the relegation zone.

(With Agency inputs)