Benzema equals one Cristiano Ronaldo Champions League record, has another in his sights
Together for Real Madrid they were a frightening attacking duo, but without the Portuguese ace, the Frenchman has really stepped up to the mark in the UCL.
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Karim Benzema is having one of those seasons. Alongside Cristiano Ronaldo in the Real Madrid attack, he proved himself to be a more than competent striker, but since being asked to lead the line himself, he’s done a rather decent job if it. And this season he’s exceeded all expectations.
Benzema and the Ronaldo record
Coming into the Champions League semi-final second leg, Madrid’s number nine had already scored his shirt number of goals in the knockout stages of the tournament, including back-to-back hat-tricks against PSG and Chelsea. This put him just one shy of Ronaldo’s record of 10.
The game against Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabéu gave him his opportunity to equal that of the Portuguese goal machine - and he did just that in extra time, netting a penalty to put Madrid 3-1 up on the night, and 6-5 ahead in the tie. Los Blancos held on to seal their place in the final, so he will also have the showpiece event to add to his tally. Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool await in Paris.
The other individual target available to Benzema is another of Cristiano’s. Including the group stage, the striker now sits on a total of 15 Champions League goals this season, two short of the 17 knocked in by his former teammate in the 2016/17 campaign, en route to a second of three consecutive UCL triumphs. Can this be just as memorable a season for Karim?