In strong and confident terms, the French star Karim Benzema - the owner of the treble that grabbed Real Madrid's qualification for the Champions League quarter-finals at the expense of Paris Saint-Germain - explained the reasons for the royal uprising that turned his delay with a goal into an exciting victory.
Benzema scored 3 goals that led Real Madrid to a 3-1 victory over Saint-Germain at the Santiago Bernabeu, and to reach the Champions League quarter-finals with a total score of 3-2 on Wednesday, as the first leg ended with the French team winning 1-0.
Brilliant Benzema scores the third in favor of Real Madrid (3-1).# Champions League # Real Madrid_Paris_Saint-Germain pic.twitter.com/bCIc9TyhnH
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) March 9, 2022
Benzema told reporters after the match, "We lost in the first leg, and we were late before the break, which is very difficult, but it is a Champions League match, and we are Real Madrid."
He added, "The uprising came as a result of mental strength. Donnarumma did not make a mistake, it was my pressure on him. When we press in this way, we can beat any team. Every match is a final for us, and today we saw that Real Madrid is still alive."
Mbappe opens the scoring for Paris Saint-Germain with a powerful shot inside the penalty area.
# Real_Madrid_Paris_Saint_Germain # Champions League pic.twitter.com/jHnoy8w3tt
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) March 9, 2022
On the other hand, St Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino rejected the goal scored by Benzema, taking advantage of a mistake by Donnarumma, stressing that it should not have been counted.
"It is a shame that such a goal is calculated in 2022, it was a mistake by Benzema against the goalkeeper. The team lost its focus after this injustice," Pochettino said in the post-match press conference.