Karim Benzema has been on fire this football season as he has been shhoting goals like bullets from a loaded gun. After scoring a trio of goals in against Real Valladolid in La Liga on Sunday, he went on to score his second consecutive hat trick as he steered Real Madrid to a mammoth 4-0 victory over La Liga table toppers Barcelona on wednesday at the latter’s home ground, Camp Nou.
The match was a Copa del Rey semifinal bout, and the victory have Los Blancos take a 4-1 agg. lead over FC Barcelona in the second leg of the Copa del Rey to make it to the finals where they will meet Osasuna.
The hat-trick on wednesday made Benzema the first player from Real Madrid to score a a triplet in El Clasico since Ivan Zamorano’s 1995 hat-trick. He also became the first player since Ferenc Puskas (1963) to score a hat-trick at the iconic Barcelona venue.
Despite entering the match as the visiting team, El Real managed to pull of a stunning victory, riding on the goals by Vinicius Jr. and of course, Benxema. Vini Jr. scored the opening goal for his side in the 2 minutes into extra time for the first half (45+2) for the early lead. This was quickly followed by Benzema’s first goal of the night at 50 minutes.
He later iced the cake with a penalty goal in the 58th minute followed by his third and Real’s fourth goal in the 80th minute to seal the deal for his side, dashing any hopes that Barcelona had of making a return into the match.
In the first half, the two teams came close to a goalless draw. Just before the teams entered the locker rooms in extra time, Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s goal was ultimately destroyed. The visitors’ rapid counterattack was finished by Vinicius Junior Jr. Initially, Rodrygo’s attempts to defeat Marcos Alonso. This goal resulted from the Madrid players’ ability to read the situation correctly and act with maturity.
Barcelona, who persisted in seeking out chances, actually collided with Los Blancos’ consistency, particularly the tight defence at the back. Robert Lewandowski created Barcelona’s lone and best opportunity. The story’s direction was also altered by Thibaut Courtois’ quick thinking in denying the veteran striker. The apparent beginning of Barcelona’s catastrophe was Vinicius’ goal, which was assisted by Karim Benzema. The second player mentioned in particular demonstrated his strength. After the break, Benzema “exploded.”
The senior French player was the source of the other three goals. The first goal came in the 50th minute, followed by a penalty three minutes later, and the game was over in the 70th minute. Eder Militao’s simple attempt to steal the ball from Sergio Busquets resulted in both Benzema’s first goal and Madrid’s second goal, which turned the aggregate score in Madrid’s favour.
A resounding victory that truly hurt Barcelona. Even if in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu was able to seal in a one-goal victory without reply, the defeat at home and at the same time lost hope of reaching the final. Madrid turned the tables, winning 4-1 overall.
