A hat-trick by veteran striker Karim Benzema earned Real Madrid an emphatic 3-1 win at reigning European champion Chelsea in its Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday.
Benzema, scored two headed goals in the space of three minutes (21′ & 24′) and then pounced on an error by Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy just after halftime (46′) to put the Spaniards in control of the tie before Tuesday’s second leg in Madrid. For Chelsea Kai Havertz scored one back in 40′.
On the other side, Villarreal pulled off another surprising Champions League result with a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the first leg of the quarterfinals on Wednesday. After making it past the group stage and eliminating Juventus in the round of 16, the modest Spanish club took a big step toward reaching the semifinals by holding on to a slim victory against favorite Bayern at the La Cerámica Stadium. Arnaut Danjuma scored the all-important goal early in the first half.
Earlier, Manchester City has a slender lead from the first leg of its Champions League quarter-final after Kevin De Bruyne’s 70′ goal earned them a 1-0 win over Atletico Madrid at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
Liverpool also took a firm grip of its Champions League tie with Benfica as goals from Ibrahima Konate, Sadio Mane and Luis Diaz earned it a 3-1 victory in Lisbon in its quarter-final first leg on Tuesday.
