"A great game from Benzema who is back on the scoresheet" - Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti reacts to win against Valladolid 

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has reacted after Karim Benzema fired his side to a 2-0 victory over Real Valladolid away from home in LaLiga yesterday (December 30).

The Frenchman was at the top of his game, scoring twice within six minutes to grant his side a much-needed win, and his manager has hailed his impact.

It proved to be a tough outing for Real Madrid at the Estadio Jose Zorrilla yesterday. Real Valladolid put in a solid performance and gave Carlo Ancelotti's men a run for their money, leaving them needing the intervention of Karim Benzema to seal the three points.

The Frenchman broke the deadlock with a beautiful strike from the spot in the 83rd minute to put Los Blancos in control. He returned to double the lead just six minutes later after being set up by Eduardo Camavinga to put the game to bed and secure all three points for Los Blancos.

Speaking after full-time, Carlo Ancelotti admitted it was a difficult test for his side at the Estadio Jose Zorrilla before proceeding to praise Karim Benzema for his contribution.

The Real Madrid tactician said in quotes posted on the club's official Twitter page:

"It was a tough, even match. The team wasn't as compact as I would have liked. But even in this difficult situation, we came out with 3 points."

He added:

"A great game from Benzema, who is back on the scoresheet. We've ended an unforgettable year well."

Following that victory, Los Merengues have now surpassed FC Barcelona in the LaLiga table. As it stands, the defending champions top the table with 38 points in 15 games, having recorded 12 victories, two draws, and one defeat to their name so far.

Meanwhile, the Catalan giants will have the opportunity to reclaim the top spot if they can manage to beat Espanyol at Camp Nou later today. It remains to be seen how things will pan out.

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Karim Benzema has returned to Real Madrid with a lot of motivation, claims Carlo Ancelotti

Real Madrid manager - Carlo Ancelotti

Karim Benzema had a World Cup to forget in Qatar as he failed to participate in any games despite being called up by France manager Didier Deschamps.

After returning to the Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the tournament, Ancelotti insisted that the 35-year-old is motivated despite what happened in Qatar.

The tactician told reporters:

"I won't speak about France's decision. It means we have a player who is back with a lot of motivation. He's very excited to be back after not being able to play much in the first part of the season."

He continued:

"He came back on December 10th after some holidays and he looked quite good when he returned. He started training with the team and played 30 minutes in our first warm-up friendly and then 45 minutes in the second friendly."