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Karim Benzema is on the ball in front of Cesar Azpilicueta
Photo: John Walton / dpa
Karim Benzema brought Real Madrid close to reaching the semi-finals with another world-class performance in the Champions League.
In the quarter-final first leg at Chelsea, the Frenchman headed two goals in just under four minutes (21st minute, 24th minute).
Seconds into the second half, Benzema completed his hat-trick on foot (46').
In the round of 16 second leg against Paris Saint-Germain, Benzema almost single-handedly decided the game with three goals.
Thomas Tuchel's team only scored the interim goal (40th) through national player Kai Havertz. Chelsea can count themselves lucky before the second leg at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu next Tuesday (9 p.m.) that the away goals rule in knockout rounds is a thing of the past this season .
While the future of Chelsea FC is uncertain after the sanctions against the oligarch and club owner Roman Abramovich and against the background of the upcoming sale, the present has been sportingly spectacular.
Initially, however, this was rarely due to the defending champions in the premier class: It was rather the Madrilenians, who showed themselves to have recovered well in game two after the 0: 4 dismantling against FC Barcelona and set a lightning-fast counterattack against the crossbar via Vinícius Júnior ( 10.).
The Blues then showed up in front of the visitors' goal, Kai Havertz got a free kick from near the edge of the penalty area against Éder Militão (15').
Reece James shot this sharply, but unplaced on Thibaut Courtois, but Militão picked up a yellow card and Real will miss the second leg.
Benzema has air sovereignty, as do Havertz
Benzema was then allowed to show twice why he is currently the best headball player in the world: First, Real's top scorer heaved the ball from almost 15 meters under the bar (21st) after a remarkable interaction with Vinícius Júnior, then Benzema stole after a half-field cross Luka Modrićs escaped from close to the six-yard box and headed in the next goal (24').
Shortly before the break, Chelsea also made it dangerously into the penalty area, and Havertz headed a Jorginho cross into the net in a similar manner to Benzema (40').
However, it was no longer exciting because world goalkeeper Edouard Mendy made a rare mistake shortly after the start of the second half: a pass that was too short from the Chelsea goalkeeper well in front of his own penalty area gave Benzema a clear path for his third goal (47th).
Substitute Romelu Lukaku missed Chelsea's best chance and was unable to join the headers (69').
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