Barcelona vs Real Madrid: La Liga Live: Karim Benzema is back to his form after an impressive attacking display in the most recent La Liga encounters against Real Valladolid. It’s a blessing for Real Madrid ahead of the Copa del Rey 2nd leg semifinal against Barcelona at Camp Nou. Follow La Liga LIVE Updates on InsideSport.IN.
The last season’s hero looked slightly dull this season due to injury and he even missed the World Cup 2022 matches for France. The Frenchman is a class player who proved his worth again. The Real Madrid striker scored the first goal through a header and the second came with a curled effort from outside the box. His third goal was a treat to watch as you can see how he completed his hattrick in the previous game: (Twitter)
🎩 Monsieur Hat-trick 🎩
⚽️⚽️⚽️ @Benzema@LaLigaen | #LaLigaHighlights pic.twitter.com/hSttfIA3sH— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) April 4, 2023
Los Blancos secured a stunning 6-0 win over Valladolid. Meanwhile, the victory wasn’t enough to catch Barcelona who are on the way to winning their first league title since Messi’s departure. His quickfire hattrick came just before the El Clasico. Carlo Ancelotti’s side has to overturn the 1-0 deficit in Copa del Rey to book the ticket to the finale with Osasuna.
We all know the value of Karim Benzema who mastered the game for Real Madrid last season. His two back-to-back hattricks in the knockout stage of the Champions League are still in the memory of Madrid fans. He just changed the entire script of the game with a clinical display in the second half against Man City and PSG.
Real Madrid won the Champions League trophy after beating Liverpool in the final and also won the La Liga title last season. The story in season 2022/23 has been slightly different. With just 12 goals to his name this season, the Frenchman was not consistent. He set a standard but failed to replicate it in the current season.
As we have seen throughout the season, injury played a major role in Karim Benzema’s progress this season. The Ballon d’Or winner faced injuries in his career but 2022/23 gave him a tough time. He has dealt with a hamstring problem, a hip flexor pull, and general fatigue. Age is also playing a major role in his career. As a player, when you face normal injuries and knocks in your 30s, it hurt your performance.
Real Madrid are looking for a backup option. Rodrygo tried to fill the spot of No.9 in his absence, but we all know the actual position of the Brazilian. He is more into attacking midfield. Alvaro Rodriguez lacks mostly in experience.
For example, Benzema failed to score in three successive games in February and Madrid failed to win any of them. It shows how Ancelotti lacks a major option in his attack.
France’s national team was in Qatar for the title defense and Karim Benzema had a muscle problem. He appeared in his team’s camp and got pictured on social media. Later, France claimed that the 35-year-old star picked up a thigh injury and Benzema got out from Didier Deschamps’ side. There were stories that he had a difference with France manager. After the World Cup 2022, he found himself back and scored seven goals in the first seven matches.
Meanwhile, he decided to take a permanent break from national duty. He wasn’t part of France’s Euro qualifying campaign. The short destructive spell after the international break in La Liga added a boost ahead of the important Champions League quarterfinals.
Benzema had five shots on target and finished the game with three goals. He played for 64 minutes in the game and entire staff admired him when he left the pitch.
5 players with most goals under Carlo Ancelotti 👏
1⃣6⃣1⃣⚽️ Filippo Inzaghi
1⃣1⃣2⃣⚽️ Cristiano Ronaldo
1⃣0⃣9⃣⚽️ Karim Benzema
1⃣0⃣3⃣⚽️ Andriy Shevchenko
9⃣5⃣⚽️ Kaka pic.twitter.com/iXJ1Y2wB4B— Stats24 (@_Stats24) April 2, 2023
After the game against Valladolid, Carlo Ancelotti said, “I don’t think they deserved to win. It was one of the best games in terms of control,”
He also added, “If we play like this in the second leg we’ll have more chances, I don’t think Barcelona can approach the game like that at home.”
Barcelona have beaten Real Madrid thrice this year in Supercopa, Copa del Rey, and La Liga. Los Blancos looked clueless against Xavi’s side. The odds were against the Madrid side in El Clasico but the story is different now. Benzema’s perfect performance in the home game added confidence to Carlo Ancelotti whose future is also in trouble.
Also read: Karim Benzema Hat-Trick: Benzema makes HISTORY at 35 years of age, scores hat-trick in SEVEN minutes
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