Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema equals Cristiano Ronaldo's UEFA Champions League record after Manchester City goal

[L-to-R] Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema added yet another feather to his cap by equalling Cristiano Ronaldo's record for most knockout goals in a single UEFA Champions League campaign.

Benzema achieved the incredible record during the second leg of Los Blancos' semi-final clash against Manchester City. Having scored twice in the first leg last week, the Frenchman scored a penalty in extra-time at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday (May 4).

The goal was Benzema's 10th in the knockout stages of this season's Champions League. He went level with Ronaldo (as per The Sun), who found the back of the net 10 times for Real Madrid during their run to the title in the 2016-17 season.

Karim Benzema ties Cristiano Ronaldo's record for most knockout goals in a single #UCL season. 🤯 https://t.co/IZ6rAT5vsO

More importantly, Benzema's penalty sealed a topsy-turvy encounter in Real Madrid's favor to send them into the Champions League final.

Following a 4-3 win at the Etihad last week, Manchester City looked the better side for much of the second leg at the Bernabeu. They took a deserved lead through Riyad Mahrez in the 73rd minute to go up by two on aggregate.

However, substitute Rodrygo scored in the 90th minute from a Benzema cutback before heading home Dani Carvajal's cross barely a minute later to level the tie.

Benzema then won and converted a penalty in the fifth minute of extra-time to seal the match 6-5 on aggregate and set up a summit clash with Liverpool on May 28.

Comparing Cristiano Ronaldo's 2016-17 UCL season and Karim Benzema's current campaign for Real Madrid

After a slow start that saw him score just twice in the group stages of the Champions League in the 2016-17 season, Ronaldo exploded in the knockout rounds.

He scored five times across both legs of Los Blancos' quarterfinal against Bayern Munich, resulting in a 6-3 win on aggregate.

The 37-year-old added a hat-trick in the first leg of their last-four clash against Atletico Madrid to take his tally to eight knockout goals for the season.

Ronaldo rounded off the campaign by scoring twice in the final against Juventus as Real Madrid won 4-1 to lift a second successive Champions League title.

In comparison, Benzema entered the knockout rounds having already scored five times during the group stages. He registered a hat-trick in the Round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain to script an incredible turnaround for his side, who were down 2-0 at half-time in the second leg.

A night full of emotions... Very proud of this 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 and the 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘀 ¡ Hasta el final ! GRACIAS 🤍 𝗦𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 ! 🇫🇷🔥 #Nueve #HalaMadrid #UCL #aporla14 #Alhamdulilah 🤲🏼❤️ https://t.co/68CNRITjwh

Benzema went on to score a second hat-trick in as many Champions League games in the first leg of Real Madrid's quarterfinal against Chelsea. The Frenchman added two more goals in the second leg to help Los Blancos win 5-4 on aggregate.

Benzema has since scored thrice across two matches against Manchester City, making it 10 knockout goals for the season. He will get the chance to break Ronaldo's record once and for all if he lines up for Real Madrid in the Champions League final against Liverpool.