Triple for the French striker, for the merengue 3-1 victory over the Blues, in London, for the first leg of the quarter-finals. El Gato is going through an extraordinary state of form. On the other hand, Villarreal beat Bayern Munich by the minimum.
The panorama could not present anything better. The current champion of the Champions League, facing the winner of Orejona. Chelsea and Real Madrid opened their quarter-final series at Stamford Bridge with a high-flying match. Champions at their best. Thanks to a plethoric Karim Benzema, the merengue team won in England 3-1, setting foot in the semi-finals of the tournament.
The English had to face the last part of this campaign with great uncertainty, after the sale of the club by the Russian magnate Roman Abramovich, sanctioned by the British government because of his possible proximity to Vladimir Putin, the architect of the invasion Russian in Ukraine. The businessman himself participated in bilateral meetings between Russia and Ukraine, to try to find a truce for the war. All this led, for example, to economic complications for Chelsea.
The duel delivered a spectacular first half, with the striking figure of Benzema. The French striker is going through a very good state of form. If he has already shown it in the rematch against PSG, for the round of 16, he repeated it this Wednesday. El Gato put Madrid 2-0 up in less than half an hour. The first was at minute 21, with a header, assisted by a sharp Vinícius. Then, at minute 24, Benzema repeated, again with a header, but now helped by Modric. It was a superb goal, sending the ball away from goalkeeper Mendy. Tenth goal for the striker in this Champions League.
Although the added value of away goals is no longer valid in UEFA tournaments, leading 2-0 was a huge advantage for Carlo Ancelotti’s side. However, Thomas Tuchel’s men stalled before halftime. In the 40th minute, Kai Havertz converted, also with a header, after a precise cross from Jorginho.
If the game opened around the second half with the German’s goal, the figure of the game was responsible for closing this window. The complementarity had just started and Karim Benzema took advantage of a big mistake by goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to define with a free goal. A hat-trick for the Frenchman (eleventh overall) and more clearance for Madrid, in the sense of managing the rest of the game.
The Londoners tried to close the gap. German Tuchel made some changes, for example bringing in Lukaku. The Belgian missed an incredible goal, just inside the box, in the 68th minute. Madrid brought together the eleven players from its field but without ultra defensive will, as Simeone’s Atlético did against Manchester City. Before any attempt from the local, Thibaut Courtois showed up, guarantee clothing in the goal.
Thanks to the efficiency of Benzema, the White House has the advantage of being in the semi-finals of the Champions League. The rematch will be played next Tuesday 12, at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Advantage for Villarreal
In the other duel of the day for the quarter-finals, Villarreal gave the mark by beating Bayern Munich 1-0, one of the main contenders for the title. At the La Cerámica stadium, the Yellow Submarine won thanks to a goal from the Dutchman Arnaut Danjuma, in eight minutes of play. It could have been 2-0 for the Spaniards, but a goal from Coquelin was canceled by the VAR.
The team led by Unai Emery is the surprise of this edition. Already in the round of 16, they had eliminated Juventus, with a resounding victory in Turin. Now they prevail against the Bavarians, although the return misses, in the always complicated Allianz Arena in Munich.
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Source: Latercera
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.
