It was a crazy meeting that Benzema made even crazier, blowing hot and cold, to the point of settling at the top of the scoring charts for this C1 (14 goals) and on the pedestal of the contender N.1 in the Golden Ball.
For his 600th game in the jersey of Real, the French international embodied the fire, when it was necessary to shake up a team adrift in the first half hour and put them back in the game by reducing the score on a half-chance .
Then he became the ice in a breathtaking end to the match, even daring a panenka, this dead leaf strike, on a penalty that he himself had helped to obtain by forcing Aymeric Laporte, in the duel, to hit arm ball.
Karim Benzema scores his 2nd goal from the penalty spot, and the 3rd for Real Madrid, against Manchester City Ederson, in their Champions League semi-final first leg, on April 26, 2022 at the Etihad Stadium Paul ELLIS AFP
You had to dare, especially since "KB9" had missed his last two penalties in the league, last week against Osasuna (3-1)!
This time, the former Lyonnais did not tremble, scoring his 85th goal in the queen competition, a length from the third step of the historic podium occupied by the Pole Robert Lewandowski.
Headwinds
After his hat-tricks against Paris SG in the round of 16 (0-1, 3-1), then Chelsea in the quarters (3-1, 2-3 aet), that's no less than nine goals scored since the start of the elimination phase direct from the queen event.
It poses a striker, and it poses a captain, as Benzema has never foundered despite headwinds in Manchester.
At the Etihad Stadium, when his Real was rocking dangerously, led 2-0, the quadruple winner of the Champions League did what is expected of a leader: raise the bar.
All it took was a half-chance, a cross from Ferland Mendy in the area, for "KB9" to reduce the gap with an instinctive recovery from the flat of the left foot (33rd) in front of Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Striker Karim Benzema beats Manchester City's Ukrainian midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko and reduces the score for Real Madrid in their Champions League semi-final first leg on April 26, 2022 at the Etihad Stadium Oli SCARFF AFP
He was able to clench his bandaged fist, remembering a broken finger in 2019 that he had not been able to operate on to continue serving his team.
And he rushed to congratulate Mendy before replacing himself, ready to resume play.
Furious pressing
A little more than a reduction in the score for Real, suddenly reinvigorated in the duels.
And a little more than a goal for Benzema, bringing, with his double at the end of the match, to 41 achievements (in 41 matches!) the results of a dream season.
At these heights, not many people can compete with the native of Bron, who displays figures worthy of Cristiano Ronaldo during his great years in Madrid...
The joy of Karim Benzema, after reducing the score for Real Madrid against Manchester City, in their semi-final first leg of the Champions League, April 26, 2022 at the Etihad Stadium Oli SCARFF AFP
And what about Benzema's activity: his furious pressing on Ruben Dias almost led to an own goal from the Portuguese, saved both by his post and by an offside situation (26th).
Or his burning center on the head of David Alaba, uncrossed flush with the post (30th).
Admittedly, Real suffered a lot in this match, to the point of finding themselves on the ropes in the second half, trailing 4-2 and close to conceding the fifth goal.
But Benzema continued to harangue his people, he continued to ask for the ball and to dare class gestures, such as this attempt at a sombrero, and he made an appointment with Manchester City in a week at the Santiago-Bernabeu stadium, his garden, where Real Madrid and its 13 trophies in C1 will again count on him to dream of a new final.
© 2022 AFP