Karim Benzema is on fire. The legendary Real Madrid striker has now scored in six straight matches, as he put two past Celta Vigo on Saturday afternoon at the Balaidos.
It took the French forward just 20 minutes to find the back of the net. Toni Kroos left the defense in the dust and then threaded the needle into the penalty area, where Benzema was waiting. The technically-prolific No. 9 made no mistake with his first touch, and his soft finish into the far right-hand corner of the net was unerring.
Benz returned from injury a couple of weeks ago with a game-tying goal in El Derbi. He then came up big in a narrow win over Elche last weekend, bailing out the team with a brace. And on Tuesday night in the Champions League, Benzema commanded the attack in a 3-1 win.
Once again, this weekend at the Balaidos, Benzema was the difference for Real Madrid in a second straight 3-1 victory.
Karim Benzema has contributed to every Real Madrid goal in their last three La Liga matches
His second goal was a gift from Toni Kroos, who pressed Celta’s defense into a clumsy error. The chance itself was not easy, though, as Benzema had to finesse the ball with his left foot into the left-hand corner, bending the ball around a defender in order to drop it into the net.
Of course, what makes Benzema so special isn’t just the goals. He is so damn good at creating for his teammates. On Matchday 28, Benzema picked up his sixth assist of the 2020-2021 La Liga campaign in the very last minute, setting up Marco Asensio for a second straight substitute goal. Asensio could not miss at all, as Benz broke free with nobody in front of him and unselfishly chipped the ball into the six-yard box with his left foot, where Asensio stood in front of an essentially open goal.
Benzema has eight goals in his last six matches, along with the assist for Real Madrid’s third at Celta Vigo this weekend. The greatest French striker in history, per Zinedine Zidane, Benzema continues to rewrite his legacy each week. He shows no signs of slowing down and is one of several veteran players on Los Merengues who is lifting the team, giving them hope in both La Liga and the Champions League.
Celta have major questions defensively, and Benzema exposed them thrice. Once again, Real needed him to collect all the goal contributions, just as they did in the previous two weekends against Atleti and Elche.
What would Real Madrid do without Benzema? I am glad I do not have to find out the answer to this hypothetical question any time soon. They survived in February when he was injury, but, now, he has been more essential than ever. He leaves us in awe every week.