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Real Madrid ace Karim Benzema scored a magnificent brace in the first leg of Los Blancos’ Champions League semi-final clash against Manchester City. His double mesmerized millions of fans across the world, including Manchester United legend and BT Sport commentator Rio Ferdinand.
Having scored seven goals in his last three Champions League matches (prior to the City clash), including two hat-tricks, Benzema produced another masterclass in goalscoring on Tuesday night.
Playing at home, the English champions started with intensity and found themselves 2-0 up after just 11 minutes of play. Real Madrid were in dire need of a savior and, like clockwork, Benzema appeared with a lifeline in the 32nd minute.
In the second half, City found themselves less than ten minutes away from securing a massive 4-2 win over Los Blancos. The Frenchman once again popped up with a solution, this time dispatching a panenka penalty to save Madrid’s blushes, restricting City to a 4-3 win.
Ferdinand could not contain his excitement after seeing the Frenchman’s goals, reacting hilariously on both occasions. Here is how he reacted to the 34-year-old’s goals on Tuesday night:
Benzema’s brace may not have been able to save Real Madrid from a defeat, but he most certainly kept them alive in the contest. The all-important Champions League semi-final second-leg is set to take place in Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium next Wednesday.
Only former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo has scored more Champions League semi-final goals than Karim Benzema
Tuesday was an eventful night for the Los Blancos no. 9, at least on a personal level. His delightful brace against Manchester City marked his ninth Champions League knockout goal of the season. The double took his total goal tally to 14, making him the competition’s leading goalscorer this season, surpassing Robert Lewandowski. The pair of goals also saw him break Lionel Messi’s goalscoring record in the Champions League semi-final. The Frenchman now has seven semi-final strikes while the Argentine has six.
Benzema’s former teammate and Real Madrid’s record goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo is the only player in Champions League history with more semi-final goals than the Frenchman. The no. 7 has scored a whopping 13 goals in the semis — same as the combined total of Benzema and Messi’s strikes at that stage.
