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Real Madrid made the trip to reigning European champions Chelsea's backyard for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash on Wednesday night.
The Blues were expected to take the game by the scruff of its neck and produce a stellar performance at Stamford Bridge. Los Blancos, however, had other other ideas.
Avenging last season’s semi-final defeat, Karim Benzema scored a superb hat-trick to guide the Whites to an emphatic 3-1 win away from home. The victory also marked Real Madrid’s first win over the Blues in the European competition.
Los Merengues ceded possession to Chelsea in the opening minutes and decided to hit the hosts on the break. In the 10th minute, they produced a neat opening for Vinicius Junior, but the Brazilian slammed his effort against the crossbar.
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11 minutes later, Vinicius made amends by providing a juicy early cross for Benzema, which the Frenchman buried into the back of the net via an exquisite header.
Three minutes later, the Real Madrid No. 9 took Chelsea to the sword, once again guiding a header past Edouard Mendy. The Blues pulled one back through Kai Havertz in the 40th minute to make the game interesting, but Madrid never lost sight of goal. Seconds into the second half, a mistake from Mendy was duly punished by Benzema to restore Madrid’s two-goal cushion.
The hosts tried hard to crawl their way back into the game, but substitute Romelu Lukaku’s wayward finishing kept them from adding to their tally. All in all, it was a perfect display by the Whites, one that established them as a solid contender for the UCL title this season.
Here are five Los Blancos stars who helped their team take a gigantic step towards the Champions League semi-finals:
#5 Daniel Carvajal
Real Madrid right-back Daniel Carvajal rolled back the years and produced an impeccable performance down his channel. With Valverde in the team, the 30-year-old had the freedom to venture into advanced areas, which greatly aided his gameplay.
Carvajal’s exchanges with Valverde were neat as he routinely pushed further up the pitch and was rock solid at the back as well.
In the 33rd minute, Carvajal popped up in Chelsea’s box and dispatched a clever pass for Vinicius Junior down the left side. Christensen somehow repositioned himself and cleared the ball out of danger.
Against the Blues, the Spaniard registered five clearances, blocked two shots, won five duels, and accurately dispatched five of his six long balls.
An encouraging performance from Carvajal ahead of Real Madrid’s most crucial phase of the season.
#4 Luka Modric
Luka Modric, 36, is the perfect definition of a work horse. Despite firmly being on the wrong side of 30, the Croat runs harder than anyone, never tiring, never looking for excuses to evade a bout. The Los Blancos No. 10 is the glue that holds this star-studded team together.
Against Chelsea, Modric produced another classic performance. He ran like the wind, helped out at the back, and helped his team in the attack as well.
In the 24th minute, Modric put in a deep early cross for his veteran teammate Benzema. The Frenchman guided the ball elegantly past Mendy to double his and Real's tally.
Modric struggled a bit in the second half but his commitment to the cause came in handy.
He covered the right-flank well, carried the ball into the attacking-third whenever possible, and ensured Chelsea never had too much time on their hands.
Modric made two interceptions and played 46 passes (82.1 percent accuracy), with one being key.
#3 Vinicius Junior
Real Madrid left-winger Vinicius Junior enjoyed another excellent outing on Wednesday night. The Brazilian used his pace brilliantly, troubling Andreas Christensen throughout the 90, and assisted Benzema’s excellent opening goal.
He did miss a good chance to open the scoring in the 10th minute, but his overall gameplay more than made up for it.
In the 21st minute, the Brazilian played a little one-two with Benzema before dashing down the left and providing an inch-perfect cross into the area. The Madrid No. 9 met the cross with aplomb and wheeled away in celebration.
Apart from the assist, the 21-year-old won five ground duels and drew three fouls.
#2 Federico Valverde
Over the course of the campaign, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has predominantly used a 4-3-3 formation. When fit, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, and Casemiro have been Ancelotti’s go-to midfielders, meaning Valverde have spent an awful amount of time warming the bench.
On Wednesday night, the Italian opted for a morphed 4-4-2 formation, giving the Uruguayan international a chance to shine.
Operating down the right-flank, Valverde produced one of his best-ever performances in Real Madrid colors. He freed up Dani Carvajal, overloaded the midfield, contributed to Madrid’s attacks, and tracked back diligently.
The 23-year-old was practically omni-present at Stamford Bridge, producing a superb box-to-box display.
He made two key passes, won six duels, recorded 27 passes with 84.4 percent accuracy, attempted three tackles, and was only dribbled past once.
A mesmerizing display by one of the most promising central midfielders in the world.
#1 Karim Benzema
Having scored two consecutive hat-tricks in Champions League knockout fixtures, Karim Benzema has emerged as the most in-form player in the world. The Real Madrid captain wears the armband with pride and leads by example, inspiring his teammates to go the extra mile.
Last night, too, we saw Benzema in all his glory, inflicting misery upon the defending European champions.
The 34-year-old opened the scoring in the 21st minute, playing a clever one-two with Vinicius before curling the Brazilian’s cross past Mendy. The Frenchman’s second came three minutes later, this time from an early cross by Modric. Clever as ever, the No. 9 applied a delicate finish to loop his header past Chelsea’s Senegalese goalkeeper.
Benzema had a chance to complete his hat-trick just before the half-time whistle, but his finish was uncharacteristically off target.
Moments after the restart, Benzema ultimately ensured the match ball, rolling the ball into the back of an empty net following Mendy’s dreadful pass.
Following his hat-trick, Benzema became the second player in Champions League history to score trebles in consecutive knock-out fixtures. His former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo is the only other player to have achieved this feat in 2016-17.
The Frenchman has scored 37 goals in 36 appearances in all competitions this season, with 11 of those strikes coming in Europ's premier competition.
