"Ronaldo was holding Benzema back!" - Fans hail Real Madrid striker's 'utterly ridiculous' evolution after Cristiano's departure
Real Madrid took a huge step towards the UEFA Champions League semi-final last night thanks to a 3-1 win against Chelsea in the first leg of their quarter-final tie.
Karim Benzema stole the show at Stamford Bridge. He scored two sensational headers in the first half before capitalizing on a mix-up in the Blues backline to complete his hat-trick just after the break.
The 34-year-old striker has been in red-hot form, scoring 37 goals in 36 games in all competitions this season, including 13 in his last seven appearances.
Benzema is the early favorite to win the 2022 Ballon d'Or due to his incredible run. Last night, he became the first player to score a European hat-trick against Chelsea. He also set the record for goals scored in a single Champions League campaign by a French player, with 11 strikes in his eight games so far.
After his arrival at Real Madrid in 2009 from Lyon, Benzema was seen as more of a supporting player to Cristiano Ronaldo. However, following the Portuguese forward's departure to Juventus in 2018, the Frenchman has stepped up. He has scored at least 30 goals across competitions in three of his last four campaigns.
Interestingly, since Ronaldo left the club, Benzema has scored 124 goals in 177 games as to scoring 192 goals in 335 games when the Portuguese was playing for Los Blancos.
Some fans on Twitter are even claiming that Ronaldo was holding Benzema back. Here are some of the best reactions to the striker's sensational display at Stamford Bridge:
All this time was Ronaldo holding Benzema back...? the guy's evolution in the last few years has been utterly ridiculous.
Since Ronaldo left Madrid:
Ronaldo - 119 club goals
Bezema - 133 club goals
Not even hating on Ronaldo but this tells how much he held Benzema back during his time at Madrid. https://t.co/QKWod2h5eb
Cristiano Ronaldo watching this Karim Benzema #UCL performance https://t.co/rLwu8fBMl0
Lionel Messi fans worried more about whether Ronaldo held back Benzema and not about how their idol has 3 league goals in the worst league in the world and hasn't won the Champions League 8 years.
Benzema really carried Ronaldo! We can see now. 👍
Benzema has more goals than Ronaldo since Ronaldo left for madrid despite taking lesser penalties, he also offers more to the team than just goals. Ronaldo was really holding him back
Do you guys not get embarrassed with the “Ronaldo held Benzema back” and “Benzema adjusted his game for Ronaldo” talks?
It’s lame, false, and has been four years. Give it a rest. Both legends of the club.
What a feeling… a great first round for the team 🔥
See you 𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 for the final result... 💥
#Nueve #UCL #HalaMadrid #Alhamdulilah 🤲🏼❤️ https://t.co/rTaE3Ceusd
#Messi @TimelineCR7 the amount of goals Messi has scored all season Ronaldo's apprentice Benzema has equaled in one match #Chelsea https://t.co/yp0Lv5atjB
Karim Benzema is the first player since Cristiano Ronaldo to score multiple hat tricks in the Champions League knock-out stage 🤝 https://t.co/gOTnPbFxeX
Karim Benzema isn't slowing down anytime soon 👑 https://t.co/xzliv2994b
Goals 
Karim Benzema has contributed to 47 goals in 35 games this season.
3️⃣4️⃣ Goals ⚽
1️⃣3️⃣ Assists 🅰️
Complete striker! 🤩
#HalaMadrid #Benzema #GetSporty https://t.co/gMSbbDthSa
Headers, thunderbolts, rockets, volleys, bicycle kicks, dribbling , non-selfish, leader on the pitch, big matches player. The most complete striker in the world, He is just like a fine wine, the older the better. A 34yrs old Benzema is my favourite for Balon'dor 🔥. https://t.co/ZCBBASmttY
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is full of praise for Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema's brilliant individual performance capped off a spectacular evening for Real Madrid, who were simply too good for their Premier League hosts.
Despite Kai Havetz's header in the first half, Chelsea's terrible defending to concede the third goal dealt a severe blow to their chances of retaining the Champions League this season.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel admitted to the Mirror that the tie is all but over. He also took responsibility for the defeat, claiming he got his tactics wrong.
"Yeah, it’s my mistake."
The German added:
"We changed the formation and wanted to turn things around because I think personally there was enough where we could hurt them."
Meanwhile, Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti was full of praise for Benzema, claiming that the striker is improving every day. He said (via Daily Mail):
"Karim Benzema is getting better every day; just like a fine wine."
The Italian manager added:
"He's more of a leader every day, he feels more and more important in this team and this squad. And I think that's what makes the difference."
"He has so much more personality, he knows he's a very important player for us and he's an example for everyone."
Last night was Real Madrid's first-ever win over Chelsea in six attempts. Los Blancos exacted a measure of revenge following their 3-1 aggregate semi-final defeat to the London side in the same European competition last season.