The Champions League really offers some extraordinary matches this year. The first leg semi-final between Manchester City and Real Madrid will be remembered for a long time.
In front of their audience, the Mancunians won 4-3 to approach the return match next Wednesday in Madrid with the wind at their back. But they know that nothing is certain once morest an opponent who has both an astonishing capacity for resilience and an extraordinary player in the person of Karim Benzema.
Author of a double for his 13th and 14th goals of the season in the Champions League, the Frenchman practically single-handedly avoided the sinking of his team. First, he put Real on a 2-1 draw in the 33rd minute as City’s third goal fell like ripe fruit as his dominance was overwhelming.
In the 82nd, Karim Benzema sealed, for his 600th match under the colors of Madrid, the score of this unforgettable match by daring the Panenka on a penalty while the pressure on his shoulders was immense. With only one goal behind and the support of their public, Real is far from having abdicated in this semi-final. We have the feeling that this team, which eliminated Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea in the previous rounds, is inhabited by an inexhaustible faith.
At the Santiago Bernabeu, Riyad Mahrez will find the spaces to perhaps express his talent even better. But like his teammates, he knows that Real has the absolute weapon with Karim Benzema.
