Real Madrid prevailed over FC Barcelona as Karim Benzema scored a brilliant hattrick and guided them to a 4-0 victory in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals. Following a sensational performance from the Frenchman, Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti believes that there’s no reason why Benzema should not get the Ballon d’Or this season.
He hailed the Frenchman for an exceptional performance against the Blaugrana and that too at Camp Nou. Los Blancos have progressed to the finals of the Copa del Rey finals and will face Osasuna.
Vinicius Junior scored the other goal for Real Madrid before Benzema went berserk. The game was in the balance in the first half until Vinicius found the net right at the end of the first half. Going into the break, the slight advantage over Barcelona gave Real Madrid a major morale boost. Hence, they had a sensational second half with Benzema simply dominating play and scoring goals for fun.
Ancelotti after the game was asked if Benzema could win the Ballon d’Or this year. To which he replied,” Benzema is back. He’s back. Another Ballon D’Or for Karim? Why not?.
In 31 games for Real Madrid across competitions, Benzema has scored 25 goals and has provided six assists. He is 35 years old and is not getting any younger but one thing we must say is that he is ageing like fine wine.
While the La Liga title looks out of reach, Real Madrid are focusing on the Copa del Rey final and the Champions League quarterfinals where they will face Chelsea. The Frren veteran won the Ballon d’Or last season when he scored 44 goals and provided 15 assists in 46 games across competitions. The Blancos won La Liga, the Champions League and Supercopa de Espana.
Real Madrid lost the first leg of the El Clasico tie in the Copa del Rey. They trailed by 1-0 but they never lost hope. The Catalans have dominated Real Madrid in these high voltage games and finally, the Blancos stood up and hammered their rivals.
Ancelotti was delighted with the result as he praised his men for playing good football and attacking the right channels. It is true that the visitors did not start that well but as the game went on they got better. In the second half, they were sublime with the ball movement and transition play. Hence they bagged a dominant win. “We played a great game, and it was a deserved result. We did very well in the second half, in a very difficult game. When we had the opportunity, we created danger in transitions,” the Italian tactician stated.
He sprinkled his praises on the defenders and the attackers but especially lauded Vinicius and Benzema for being at their exceptional best. “We delivered on everything, both offensively and defensively. Vinicius has complied, he scored and Benzema has also returned. Today, he has been as decisive as he always is,” he concluded.
Real Madrid will next face Villareal at home but will have an eye on the Champions League quarterfinals against Chelsea on April 13.
