Despite losing 0-1 to Barcelona in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, Real Madrid showed their mettle by defeating coach Xavi's team 4-0 in the second leg at their opponent's Nou Camp stadium.
It is worth mentioning that all 4 goals of Real Madrid had the mark of striker Karim Benzema when he contributed 1 assist and 3 goals for the home team.
Benzema scored a hat-trick in Real Madrid's 4-0 win over Barcelona in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final (Photo: AP).
Benzema is the second Real Madrid player to score three goals in a match at their arch-rivals. The first to score a hat-trick at the Nou Camp for the "White Vultures" was 60 years ago (in the 1963 season) by the legendary Ferenc Puskas.
The French striker is also the first Real Madrid player to score a hat-trick in El Clasico since 1995. The last person to do so was Ivan Zamorano.
According to statistics in the last 6 El Clasico matches, Benzema contributed to 6 goals (4 goals and 2 assists). Up to this point, he has had 15 goals in El Clasico and officially surpassed the legend Raul Gonzalez in the list of players with the most goals.
Despite being 35 years old, Benzema is still in impressive form, scoring 23 goals in 30 appearances in all competitions for Real Madrid this season.
Speaking after Real Madrid's victory, coach Carlo Ancelotti had many compliments for Benzema: "He touched the switch and just like that scored. His performance in the second half was fantastic. With the quality Benzema has, when he is fit, he makes the difference. Benzema can win another Ballon d'Or because he is one of the best strikers in the world ."
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