Real Madrid Vs PSG: Benzema's Hat-trick Takes Madrid To The Champions League Quarter-finals

JAKARTA - Karim Benzema scored a hat-trick that not only turned the pendulum of the Champions League last 16 second leg match but also brought Real Madrid to the quarter-finals of the Champions League and at the same time knocked out Lionel Messi's Paris Saint Germain from Europe's elite competition.

Benzema brought Madrid to the quarter-finals after winning 3-1 (3-2 aggregate), this Thursday morning WIB at the Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid.

Benzema scored three goals in 17 minutes of the second half after the visitors took a 1-0 lead until the 61st minute from a goal by Madrid's Kylian Mbappe.

Real Madrid were the first to create chances when Marco Asensio's volley in the fourth minute was blocked by the PSG defence. But a minute later PSG also created a chance when Nuno Mendes' effort was blocked by Rela.

Asensio again faced the fact that his effort was blocked by PSG, instead in the eighth minute, when Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtoi made a fine save to neutralize Mbappe's chance.

Five minutes later in the 13th minute Mbappe again forced Courtois to deny his goal opportunity. Courtois was again the busier goalkeeper in this game when Neymar also tried to test him in the 22nd minute.

On the other hand, PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made Karim Benzema fail to find the net in the 25th minute.

But about five years later PSG finally found the net when Mbappe continued Nuno Mendes' superb pass in front of Real's goal. But VAR later annulled you because Mendes was declared offside before the goal was scored.

Then four minutes after Benzema's header was saved by Donnarumma, the visitors finally broke the deadlock when Neymar's assist following a midfield duel was sent to Mbappe who sprinted and tried to block two Madrid defenders.

Mbappe found the ball with a powerful shot into the bottom right corner of the Madrid goal after receiving a delivery from Neymar and the shot was too strong for Courtois to block. PSG also led 1-0 at once in a 2-0 aggregate.

In this round both teams both released 8 goal attempts, but PSG were better at directing the ball into the goal by making 4 on target, one of which resulted in a goal.

The pendulum changed in the second half, especially after Carlo Ancelotti pulled on Toni Kroos and Marco Asensio in the 57th minute to be replaced by Eduardo Carmavinga and Rodrygo.

Madrid's game became very lively, especially after Benzema scored his first goal in the 61st minute after Donnarumma was caught by Benzema in the PSG penalty box and then made a mistake when the ball fell to Vinicius Junior who calmly processed the ball before passing it to Benzema who did not hesitate to put it in. against PSG without being stopped by Donnarumma.

15 minutes later in the 76th minute, Benzema scored the second goal which also equalized 2-2 on aggregate.

This goal was preceded by a maneuver by Luka Modric who ran through his own penalty area to the right of the center, then sent the ball to Vinícius Junior to the left of the PSG defence. The winger had a difficult time finding the ball before setting Benzema out in front of goal and then unleashing a deadly diagonal finish just outside Courtois' reach.

Just two minutes later in the 78th minute. Benzema scored again after Vinícius Junior overwhelmed the PSG defense and made a mistake when he sent the ball towards Benzema who sent it into the PSG net and briefly hit Marquinhos in the leg to round Donnarumma into the wrong side. Madrid also made an extraordinary dramatic reversal that led them to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

PSG tried to equalize, but Madrid also fought valiantly both in front and behind the defense so that the 3-2 position lasted until the end of the game.

The line-up of the two teams as quoted by the Champions League page:

Real Madrid (4-3-3): Thibaut Courtois; Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, Nacho Fernandez; Toni Kroos, Fede Valverde, Luka Modric; Marco Asensio, Vinicius Junior, Karim Benzema

Coach: Carlo Ancelotti

Paris Saint-Germain (4-3-3): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Presnel Kimpembe, Nuno Mendes; Marco Verratti, Leandro Paredes, Danilo; Neymar, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe