Benzema closes in on Lewandowski in Champions League all-time top scorers

Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema is having quite a season. 

The Frenchman continued with his red-hot form on Tuesday night as he scored a brace in Real Madrid’s 4-3 loss to Manchester City in the Champions League semi-final first-leg clash at the Etihad Stadium. 

His brace means he has scored eight goals in the last three Champions League matches, taking his tally to 14, one above Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski. 

He is regarded as one of the most prolific players the competition has ever seen, and the numbers back him up. 

The 34-year-old has now scored 85 goals in the competition, one behind Lewandowski, who is on 86. 

Overall, he is fourth on the list and could match the Polish striker’s tally if he scores in the return match at Santiago Bernabeau. 

Benzema has now scored 41 goals in 41 games this season, becoming the fifth player to reach this figure in a single season in Real Madrid’s history, after Cristiano Ronaldo, Ferenc Puskas, Alfredo Di Stefano, and Hugo Sanchez.

He has also closed the gap on Raul as the second-highest goalscorer in the club’s history, with 320 goals to the former captain’s 323.