Well, that was beautiful. Real Madrid perfectly returned to form by defeating Shakhtar 5-0 on Tuesday. An own goal from Serhiy Kryvstov made things a little easier for Real Madrid at the start, and they just went ahead and put the game to bed.
To be honest, Los Blancos didn’t really face a lot of difficulty during the game. Shakhtar were always a foot slower, a step behind, sometimes two, and Real Madrid capitalized on that, especially in the second half.
Vinicius scored two goals and had an assist, Karim Benzema scored one and assisted the other, while also being partly involved in the own goal, and Rodrygo added to his Champions League tally as Real ran riot, preparing themselves for the crucial game against Barcelona.
What are my takeaways from the game?
Karim Benzema once again proved that he’s the best in the world
I myself, like almost every other Real Madrid-associated person on the planet, am a Benzema-for-Ballon-D’or advocate. The Frenchman has simply been phenomenal for years, particularly this season, and it’s high time that someone took notice of that.
He was once again instrumental in the win over Shakhtar. Benzema didn’t have the greatest of halves during the first 45′ but more than made up for it during the second half. That’s also when Real Madrid started playing some amazing football. I do not know if it was a coincidence or not, but Real’s successes go in sync with Benzema’s, that’s one thing we have noticed in these last three to four seasons in a Benzema-led Real Madrid side.
The first goal was pretty fortunate, but the pass was directed to Benzema, which technically means he was partly responsible for the goal. Then, Real scored the second goal, and Benzema played a very important role in it. He got the ball on the left side of the box, he took his time and made the all-important pass to Luka Modric moments before the goal. Shortly after he registered the assist for Vini’s second of the night, and ended it all with a goal to his name minutes before the full-time whistle. Excellent game from Karim Benzema. Best in the world, no doubt.