MADRID, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- England international midfielder Jude Bellingham faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury in the opening minutes of Real Madrid's 2-1 home win over Rayo Vallecano on Sunday afternoon.

The game was in its eighth minute when Bellingham suffered the injury, going down clutching his left hamstring.

Bellingham's teammates signaled that he could not continue and, although the player was able to walk off the pitch with the help of the club's medical staff, he was in tears and clearly affected by the injury.

Bellingham will not have tests until Monday, but if the hamstring is torn he could be sidelined for at least a month, depriving Real Madrid of a key player for its Champions League knockout round playoff against Benfica on Feb. 17 and 25, when the club's European campaign is at stake.

Bellingham will also miss La Liga matches away to Valencia and Osasuna, as well as home games against Real Sociedad and Getafe.

Real Madrid won the match with a Kylian Mbappe penalty in the 99th minute after Vinicius Junior's first-half goal was canceled out by Jorge de Frutos early in the second half. ■