Madrid (AP) – Who actually needs Kylian Mbappé when he has Karim Benzema? The Real Madrid captain showed the limits of his French team-mates and Paris Saint-Germain with a spectacular hat-trick.
Benzema’s goals (61st minute, 76th, 78th) secured Real’s entry into the quarter-finals and ensured PSG’s top class knockout again. Mbappé, on the other hand, managed to lead the guests in Madrid after his 1-0 win in the first leg (39th). After the break, hardly anything went together for him, Neymar and Lionel Messi.
Nevertheless, Real should continue to work on a summer transfer of 23-year-old Mbappé. Ultimately, only Benzema, who was more than ten years his senior, made it clear what distinguishes a really great man. “I think he just showed again how important he is to us. What qualities he brings is simply incredible,” said Real defender David Alaba at DAZN.
superlatives
Benzema was 34 years and 80 days old when his hat-trick propelled Los Blancos to the quarter-finals – at that age no player had ever scored a hat-trick in the premier club. It was his third hat trick in Europe’s biggest football competition. He is also the first player ever to have scored at least one goal in the Champions League in 18 consecutive calendar years (2005 to 2022).
Question mark
For the fourth time, PSG are eliminated after a first leg win in a knockout round of the royal class. It is unclear what will become of the luxury squad financed with Qatar millions. Mbappé is set to move to Real on a free transfer in the summer, and what Messi and Co. will do remains to be seen. The pressure is also increasing for coach Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine has long been linked with a move to Manchester United anyway.