Real Madrid was held to a 2-2 draw at home by Celta Vigo on Sunday in the first match in nearly three months for Belgium forward Eden Hazard.
Hazard, who started the game and earned a penalty, hadn’t played since injuring his right ankle on Nov. 26 against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. He had been practicing with the rest of the team for the last two weeks but had yet to be included in the squad.
The draw left Madrid one point ahead of Barcelona at the top of the Spanish league.
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior fights for the ball against Celta Vigo's Nestor Araujo during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Celta de Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. (AP PhotoManu Fernandez)
Hazard earned a penalty that was converted by Sergio Ramos to put Madrid in front in the 65th minute. He was substituted in the 73rd.
But Celta snatched the draw when Santi Mina fired in the 86th-minute equalizer after fellow substitute Denis Suárez set him up with a superb through ball that threaded past several Madrid players.
Fedor Smolov had put the visitors ahead in the seventh minute. Madrid’s Toni Kroos made it 1-1 in the 52nd.
Real Madrid's Karim Benzema reacts at the ground during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Celta de Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. (AP PhotoManu Fernandez)
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Real Madrid's Gareth Bale leaves the game during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between Real Madrid and Celta de Vigo at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020. (AP PhotoManu Fernandez)