Topics: UEFA Champions League, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Karim Benzema
The French striker was key to keep Los Blancos alive in the competition with one goal in each half of the game.

The game between Manchester City and Real Madrid turned out to be what you would expect from a semi-final tie and more, and while the hosts claimed the win with four goals, the real standout player of the match was Karim Benzema once again.

It was one of those evenings for the Frenchman, who scored one goal in each half of the clash to keep Los Blancos in the title race. Added to that, the striker nabbed a couple of records for his resume, with one of those having to do with what Lionel Messi had done for Barcelona in his years there.

The former Olympique Lyon ace found the back of the net for the 14th time in the ongoing UEFA Champions League campaign, good enough to top the goalscoring charts in the competition for the first time in his long career. But the real milestone came when you add up to those goals with the ones he has scored in La Liga, which add up to forty goals in the season, also the first time he has done so since he became a professional player.

Another record for the French striker had to do with his goalscoring prowess when playing away from home.

If you needed more reasons to support Benzema's massive season, Benzema is now getting closer to matching Cristiano Ronaldo's tally when it comes to semi-final matches. While at it, he surpassed Lionel Messi's haul in final four games.

The player ended his impressive run at Etihad Stadium with a fine penalty kick finish that kept Los Blancos alive in the tournament. Here is Benzema's final goal of the evening against the Citizens (Image might be geo-restricted).