Eden Hazard finally scores a goal as Real Madrid survives against Granada

Eden Hazard has been facing a lot of pressure to prove himself worthy to be called a Real Madrid "Galactico." On Saturday afternoon, Hazard finally opened his account on the Real Madrid scoreboard thanks to a well-calculated goal that lobbed over the head of Granada's keeper. His contribution helped the team secure their 4-2 victory, which also assured them of the top spot on the La Liga table as we go into the international break.

After having been the club's biggest signing this summer, fans were disappointed when Hazard was sidelined for several weeks due to injury. The long wait made fans impatient to see the talent that made club president Florentino Perez decide to pluck the Belgian away from English club Chelsea FC.

Karim Benzema scored Los Blancos' first goal inside two minutes thanks to an unbelievable assist from Gareth Bale. The pass curved around a defender straight into the path of a rapidly advancing Benzema. A quick, decisive strike left Rui Silva helpless.

Real Madrid kept the momentum and bombarded Granada's goal. However, Silva kept most of the challenges at bay with some impressive shot-stopping skills. Unfortunately for him, Hazard had other ideas. Fede Valverde managed to power his way through the Granada defence to set up Hazard's impeccable chip over the keeper and into the net. Hazard's 46th minute goal sent Real Madrid into half-time with a 2-0 lead.

"It's always difficult to get that first goal but once you get it, you have greater confidence to shoot and I hope to score lots of goals for this great club," said Hazard, in an interview shared by Real Madrid.

The second half was quite tense, after Granada managed to pull two goals back. Real Madrid thought they had it in the bag after Luka Modric buried a screamer in the 61st minute. However, Madrid keeper Alphonse Areola gifted Granada with a penalty after he inadvertently kicked Carlos Fernandez on the heel while trying to clear a ball away from his net.

The goal breathed new life into the Granada players and they started to put pressure on the hosts. Their efforts paid off in the 78th minute when Domingos Duarte scored from a corner. Now only 3-2 down, the newly promoted team piled on the pressure. The Real Madrid players were clearly struggling to keep the lead until James Rodriguez changed everything.

The "Golden Boy," who had previously fallen out of favour with Zinedine Zidane, finally managed to announce his return and cement his commitment to the club. After a two-year loan spell at Bayern Munich, the Colombian was widely believed to have been for sale during the last transfer window. With no takers, Zidane was forced to rely on him this season. James proved his intention to fully contribute by celebrating with full abandon after scoring in injury time.

Real Madrid's win over Granada was a battle for the top of the La Liga table. Los Blancos now hold the top spot with 18 points and is the only unbeaten team so far this season. Meanwhile, Granada sits in second place with 14 points.