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Karim Benzema in the London rain
Photo: ADRIAN DENNIS / AFP
The 46th minute on Wednesday evening at London's Stamford Bridge could already have decided the Champions League quarter-finals between Chelsea and Real Madrid.
At least when it comes to Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel, who after the 1: 3 (1: 2) defeat almost preferred to talk about the league game in Southampton on Saturday because catching up by two goals is rather unrealistic.
He is more worried about Southampton than about the second leg at the Bernabéu next Tuesday, said Tuchel.
This is due to the current appearance of his team.
And that's because of that 46th minute.
Then Karim Benzema sprinted after a liberating strike in the opposing half, towards goalkeeper Édouard Mendy, who, not only because of his orange jersey colour, seemed hardly prepared for the 34-year-old striker to charge at him like a bull.
Almost scared, Mendy didn't hit the ball properly about 35 meters from his goal when trying to pass Antonio Rüdiger a few meters away, Benzema grabbed the ball and pushed it in.
Once again it was the evening of Karim Benzema;
three goals in the decisive game against Paris Saint-Germain, he followed up with three goals against the defending champions.
After eight season games in the premier class, he now has eleven goals.
Not only Ancelotti searched for superlatives;
the day before, in front of the three goals, Tuchel had already done that.
At the obligatory press conference, Tuchel said that Benzema was one of the most underrated players until a few years ago.
After Tuchel explained a day later why the thing was already over for him, Carlo Ancelotti searched for the right words to describe Benzema.
That was noticeable to him, the real coach who only traveled to Germany on Wednesday after a positive corona test.
For him, Benzema is the "great Karim," said Ancelotti.
Like a wine, because it keeps getting better.
A complete – and then Ancelotti paused – player, not just a striker.
And while Benzema was certainly no longer underestimated on Wednesday night, he silenced Stamford Bridge and with it Tuchel.
There was a phase in the first half when Tuchel stood on the sidelines almost motionless in the constant rain.
Otherwise, he often paces through his coaching zone gesticulating to recommend the right way of walking to players with an X drawn in the air through his forearms.
A little more than a quarter of an hour there was almost nothing with the German coach, which Chelsea fans only rave about.
A slight shrug, pulling the scarf over your face and waving.
Then nothing.
The defending champion had let the Madrilenians cross twice.
Once through a change of game via Toni Kroos after Vinícius, who was so fast, was sent on his way in a triangle game with Benzema (20th).
The other time through a flash of inspiration from the second doyen in the still sensational Real midfield, Luka Modrić (24th).
Both times Karim Benzema rose into the air in the penalty area and pushed the ball into the goal against Mendy's direction of travel.
Chelsea, on the other hand, had plenty of possession at times, played diligently around the penalty area but could not get inside.
Except for one time, when Jorginho crossed sharply in front of the goal from the half field and Kai Havertz headed in (40th).
When the others cheered, Tuchel stopped dead in his tracks before the instructions just broke out of him.
The obvious receiver, Christian Pulisic on the opposite side of the pitch, was the only one looking in the coach's direction.
Before the game, Tuchel called on the fans, who, after sanctions against the outgoing Russian owner Roman Abramowitsch and a ticket ban, celebrated their comeback last weekend and accompanied the 1: 4 home defeat against promoted Brentford with whistles.
Now he seemed to want to hold his players accountable.
At the break, Tuchel switched to a back four to get Vinícius under control.
And then Benzema sprinted towards Mendy.
Karius, Donnarumma, Mendy
Again, Real benefited from a goalkeeper error.
After the memorable round of 16 match against Paris Saint-Germain, when Benzema forced Gianluigi Donnarumma to fail.
After the even more memorable blunder of Liverpool's Loris Karius in the 2018 Champions League final, if you go back a little further.
At that time, Benzema put his foot in the goalkeeper's attempt to throw it and pushed it in.
Always Benzema.
The mistakes made by the goalkeepers show Benzema's ability to anticipate, which is otherwise rarely seen in a striker.
And that might make him the best at the moment.
When other strikers stop running because they see the pass already played, Benzema pulls through, recognizes the millisecond of inattention - and exploits it.
As with Mendy, who looked like the loneliest person in London in front of almost 40,000 fans at Stamford Bridge.
Maybe that's why Benzema was considered one of the most underestimated players for a long time, because such moments seem so inconspicuous and improbable.
At least less conspicuous and less likely than crosses in the opponent's penalty area, which Benzema uses as a matter of course.
Or as his qualities as a playmaker in disguise, when he drops into midfield to initiate attacks without further ado.
After the game, when Stamford Bridge was almost empty, 'Karim!
Karim!
Karim Benzema« from a corner of the stadium.
There were hundreds of Real fans celebrating their captain and triple goalscorer.
And then there was Benzema, who hadn't disappeared into the catacombs or for an interview like the other players, but orchestrated the fellow travelers with clenched fists.
Just as he had previously led his team.
