Karim Benzema’s second consecutive hattrick in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage put holders Chelsea on the brink of elimination. Los Blancos flew back to Madrid with a 3-1 win from Stamford Bridge – a considerable advantage, despite the absence of the away-goal rule this season.
Real attacked the Blues with intent during the early phases of play, isolating Vinicius Jr against right Andreas Christensen whenever possible. The Brazilian hit the bar after leaving the Dane in his wake in the 10th minute, and it was his cross in the 21st that Benzema headed in from the middle of the box for the opening goal of the game. Three minutes later, the Frenchman doubled Real Madrid’s lead, peeling away from Thiago Silva to guide a Luka Modric cross with his head.
Kai Havertz pulled a goal back for Thomas Tuchel’s side five minutes before the interval, heading in a cross from Jorginho. However, just seconds after the restart, Edouard Mendy gave the ball away cheaply to Benzema, and the Frenchman rolled it into an empty net for his hattrick.
Carlo Ancelotti watched on from the sidelines as his side protected their two-goal cushion, which they will defend a week later at the Bernabeu.
Elsewhere, former Bournemouth player Arnaut Danjuma scored the only goal of the game as Villarreal stunned favorites Bayern Munich with a 1-0 win. The Dutchman put the Yellow Submarine up on the scoreline just eight minutes in, diverting Dani Parejo’s effort from close range after timing his run to perfection.
Francis Coquelin thought he had doubled Villarreal’s lead in the 41st minute when his attempted cross sailed over Manuel Neuer, and into the back of the net, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. On the other side of the break, forward Gerard Moreno hit the far post with an effort from outside the box.
Bayern clung on to the tie despite Villarreal’s onslaught but were unable to overturn a 1-0 deficit during the regular ninety minutes of the first leg, nonetheless.
