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Soccer

REAL MADRID

Karim Benzema and Thibaut Courtois more important than ever for Real Madrid

Benzema and Courtois continue to put in big performances for Real Madrid in Europe.

Fernando S. Tavero
Fernando S. Taverotavety27
Real Madrid's French forward Karim Benzema kicks the ball during the UEFA Champions League quarter final first leg football match between Real Madrid CF and Chelsea FC at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on April 12, 2023. (Photo by PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / AFP)
PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOUAFP

Karim Benzema and Thibaut Courtois continue to perform for Real Madrid on the biggest Champions League nights. The latest example is the victory against Chelsea on Wednesday night. The 2-0 win came with goals from Benzema and Marco Asensio, and between the sticks, Courtois kept his former side out. Benzema opened the scoring with his sixth goal in five games against Chelsea. Courtois kept out what could have been an Eder Militao own goal as Chelsea knocked on his door.

Ronaldo and Messi ahead of Benzema

Benzema started the European season on the back foot. After his initial disappointment, he has now scored four goals. He netted a brace against Liverpool at Anfield, the goal in the second leg at the Bernabéu and the first goal in the first leg of the quarter-final. It is now 14 goals in his last nine knockout games. The hat-trick to beat PSG in the last 16 last season was followed by another treble at Stamford Bridge and he scored four more against Chelsea and Manchester City in the following games on the way to the 2022 Champions League final.

Courtois with the Yashin and Benzema with the Ballon d'Or.
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Courtois with the Yashin and Benzema with the Ballon d'Or.Rodrigo JiménezEFE

Benzema’s Champions League goals

Benzema has scored 90 goals and provided 30 assists in the Champions League. He is fourth on the list of all-time top scorers. Ahead of him are Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi with 140 and 129 goals respectively. Robert Lewandowski has 91 in the competition. In all competitions this season, Benzema has netted 26 goals and registered six assists in 33 games, scoring a goal every 86.4 minutes. These are serious numbers for a 35-year-old who struggled with injuries at times this season.

“They [Chelsea] had a good start and hit us with on the counter-attack. Making a save after a goal is worth a lot. I’m very happy,” explained Courtois after the Chelsea game. The Belgian had yet to make his personal mark in the Champions League this season, with one glaring error against Liverpool.

This is how Courtois flew to avoid Mané's goal in the final in Paris.
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This is how Courtois flew to avoid Mané's goal in the final in Paris.GONZALO FUENTESDiarioAS

Courtois contributes

Courtois was superb in the Champions League final at the Stade de France that saw Los Blancos beat Liverpool 1-0 with a goal from Vinícius. He made nine saves against Liverpool, more than anyone else in a Champions League final. There were 59 saves in total in the competition last season - an all-time record that beats Petr Cech’s 58 saves in 2011-12.

Benzema is the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner and Courtois is the 2022 Yashin Trophy winner. With the pair still performing at the highest level, Madrid always have a chance.

*Stats via Opta and MisterChip