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.
Read alsoFrom the hope of playing with Mbappé, to the elimination of a PSG who "scared" him, Benzema sees big for Real
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
ifs
and the
maybes,
it seems there will always be a white shirt 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.