Atletico Madrid 2-1 Real Madrid (2-4 aggregate): 5 Talking Points, UEFA Champions League 2016-17 Semifinal

4. Karim Benzema delivers when it truly matters. Always.

Owen Hargreaves was spot on when, sat in the commentator’s box, he said of the Frenchman: “Karim Benzema has put on a clinic as a centre-forward." The Frenchman was on fire today making those off-the-ball runs into channels with keen precision, running with the ball well and creating chances were none seemed to be existent. It was his still underrated talent that let Real Madrid off the hook when he shimmied past Savic, Godin, and Gimenez down the touchline before setting up Toni Kroos... from which Isco bundled the ball in.

At that moment, it looked likelier that Atletico would get a third before Madrid even had a sniff of Oblak’s goal, but the Frenchman has this great knack of delivering when the hammer is down – both on him personally, and his team as a whole – and with his career at Madrid and (more importantly) his team’s place in the competition that they covet most under extreme threat, he stepped up to the plate and delivered. Yet again. There’s a reason he’s been Real Madrid’s first-choice centre-forward for nigh on a decade and it’s not (just) Florentino Perez’s affection.

The no. 9 was doing the kind of things that made the great no.7 so adored... dribbling past players with ease, creating something out of nothing, and generally giving the impression that if he got anywhere near the ball something special would happen. For once – tonight - it seemed like Benzema and Ronaldo had exchanged their roles (and importance in the scheme of things)... and there’s no greater compliment than that, is there?

Oh, as for that tie-deciding moment of magic? Just sit back and enjoy:

Benzema slayingpic.twitter.com/KDfCkFzZSI

— Soccer Fan Base (@Soccerfanbase) May 10, 2017