Real Madrid was in command of their Champions League quarter-final match against reigning champions Chelsea after Karim Benzema scored a remarkable hat-trick.
Benzema maintained his excellent record in the tournament by scoring a spectacular quickfire hat-trick in the second leg of the Round of 16 match against Paris Saint-Germain.
Following a fantastic run and cross from Vinicius Junior, the Frenchman opened the score in a dramatic manner in the 21st minute, blasting a header beyond the grasp of Blues goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. Benzema upped the advantage for the visitors three minutes later, landing another superb header from Luka Modric’s cross.
Five minutes before the interval, Kai Havertz reduced the deficit with a stunning strike after Jorginho’s lofted cross into the box. Benzema, on the other hand, reinstated Madrid’s two-goal lead in the opening minute of the second half, sealing his hat-trick by capitalizing on a catastrophic and uncommon blunder by Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
For several years, Benzema was the world’s most undervalued and unappreciated striker. Benzema appears to be the finest footballer in the world right now.
The Frenchman followed up his spectacular hat-trick versus PSG with another against the reigning European champions at Stamford Bridge. His connection play, positional intelligence, and, of course, his skill to stretch his body and steer powerful headers past even the greatest goalkeepers were all on exhibit in the first two goals. While the third goal was a gift, it was the outcome of his unrelenting efforts, which is even more impressive.
The narrative of Edouard Mendy’s turnaround at Chelsea has been phenomenal. He was jobless at the age of 22 and was about to retire from football when a friend suggested him to Marseille, where he became the fourth-choice goalkeeper. Six years later, he maintained a clean sheet in the Champions League final as the Blues won an extraordinary victory over Manchester City, and he was nominated to the tournament’s best team.
To go along with his excellent personal record, the Senegalese shot-stopper helped his country win their first-ever AFCON this year before propelling them to the World Cup finals this year. Despite this, he had a rare moment of wildness, enabling Real Madrid to score a third goal on the night.
Obviously, Mendy is Chelsea’s long-term backup for Thibaut Courtois, who resurfaced at Stamford Bridge in front of fans for the first time since leaving the club on Wednesday.
Courtois declared his intention for a positive response from the Blues supporters before the game, but it was not forthcoming, with his touches being booed by the home crowd for most of the first half. They didn’t like the way he left in 2018 when he eventually got his long-awaited return to Spain.
In the first half, Havertz managed to get past him, but Courtois has persisted in his rise at Real Madrid to become the world’s best goalkeeper, and he indicated that quality countless times in this match, the most noteworthy of which was getting his fingers to a wheezing Cesar Azpiliceuta attempt five minutes into the second half.
