Real Madrid talisman Karim Benzema has continued to etch his name into the history books of the club on Thursday night.
Carlo Ancelotti’s troops were of course back in action a short time ago.
Having long sewn up the La Liga title, Los Blancos welcomed Segunda-bound Levante to the Bernabeu, no doubt keen to put on a show for the club’s fanbase.
And, when all was said and done, this is precisely what Real went on to do.
A rampant display ultimately culminated in the capital giants emerging on the right side of a 6-0 scoreline, to reestablish their 12-point advantage atop Spain’s top-flight.
Vinicius Jr. proved the star of the show, finding the net on a trio of occasions to secure the first hat-trick of his Real Madrid career.
FIRST CAREER HAT TRICK FOR VINICIUS ♨️ pic.twitter.com/jZGUjpm01e
— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 12, 2022
Luka Modric, meanwhile, was also at the treble, albeit from a creative standpoint on his way to a head-turning three assists across the opening 45 minutes of play.
And too on target were all of Ferland Mendy, Rodrygo and Karim Benzema, capping another stellar night’s work amid what has proven a season to remember on the white half of Madrid.
A stunning assist from Modric and a brilliant run from Mendy to put the champions ahead 👏 pic.twitter.com/JPXAt7WIml
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) May 12, 2022
Raul matched
As alluded to above, though, in truth, it is the name of that man Benzema which has taken its place front and centre in the headlines on Thursday night.
This comes with Real’s lethal frontman, in bagging an eye-watering 44th goal of the campaign, having joined some altogether elusive company in the storied history of one of world football’s biggest clubs.
Benzema, across his Blancos career as a whole, has now found the net on no fewer than 323 occasions.
This tally is good enough for the Frenchman to join club icon Raul Gonzalez in 2nd on the list of all-time goalscorers in the Spanish capital.
Benzema now trails only former teammate and 5-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo in the standings, albeit with the Portuguese remaining a full 127 goals clear of his one-time partner in crime.
Karim Benzema has now scored as many goals for Real Madrid as Raúl (323).
Cristiano Ronaldo is the only player in the club’s history with more (450). 🙌 pic.twitter.com/PiO9uSllZ1
— Squawka (@Squawka) May 12, 2022
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