If Karim Benzema continues like this, we don’t see who can deprive him of the Ballon d’Or at the end of the season. After PSG in the previous round, the center-forward of Real Madrid and the Blues replayed with delight the same stunner number. The one who almost single-handedly does all the work.
On the lawn of Stanford Bridge, Benzema once again displayed his ability to make a difference through his technique and his power: a powerful header on the reception of a center from Vinicius which he himself had served for the opener (0-1, 21st). And three minutes later, a new whim on a deep pass from Modric (0-2, 24th). Havertz’s goal at the end of the first period (1-2, 40th) could have put Chelsea back in the running. But nothing could calm the Frenchman.
Just after the break, his pressing forced Edouard Mendy to make a big mistake, like Gigio Donnarumma at Santiago-Bernabeu: a missed kick clearance and, in addition, Rüdiger who missed his intervention. In the empty goal, he scored a hat-trick (1-3, 46th) which obviously put Real Madrid in an excellent position for qualification. Certainly, with the end of the away goal rule, the English can say that a two-goal success in Spain would send them into extra time. But between the and and the may be, it seems there will always be a white jersey flanked by the number 9 to prevent dreaming.
“Confidence and the desire to win change everything”
Sometimes, rather than a long eulogy, it is enough to observe a simple statistic. Not the one who announces that he is now at 37 goals in 36 games. But this one: before Benzema, the last two players to score back-to-back Champions League hat-tricks are Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. At this level and at this height, there is no chance.
“We had a big match, he is satisfied at the microphone of Canal +. Against PSG, we had succeeded in the last 20 minutes. Here, we started from the beginning. Confidence and the desire to win change everything. I am satisfied but not only for the goals. Because we were able to wait in order to create the right opportunities. On the third goal, I’m happy because I still had a big chance in mind that I had missed at the end of the first period. I wanted to catch up. »
In the other quarter-final, Bayern Munich complicated their task by logically losing in Spain against Unai Emery’s Villarreal on a goal early in the game from Dutchman Arnaut Danjuma.