Real Madrid forwards Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain have faced criticism in recent weeks due to a lack of goals but the pair came good on Wednesday, helping the La Liga champions move within touching distance of the Champions League semi-finals.
The ever-reliable Cristiano Ronaldo fired Real ahead against Turkey’s Galatasaray in the ninth minute of the quarter-final at the Bernabeu, lifting him to the top of the scoring chart on nine goals, before Karim Benzema added a second 20 minutes later.
The France striker was replaced by Argentina international Gonzalo Higuain in the 65th minute and he made it 3-0 seventeen minutes from time as Real virtually assured themselves of a place in the last four ahead of next week’s second leg in Istanbul.
“Higuain and Benzema got their goals and that is good for their confidence,” coach Jose Mourinho told a news conference.
“But even if they hadn’t scored I would have been happy with the job they did today,” added the Portuguese, who is bidding to lead Real to a 10th European crown that has eluded the Spanish giants since 2002.
The relatively poor form of Benzema and Higuain is one reason while Real’s La Liga title defence has faltered this season, leaving them 13 points adrift of arch rivals Barcelona with nine games remaining.
At the same stage of the 2011-12 league campaign, Higuain had netted 17 goals and Benzema 14 but this term they have scored only 11 and eight respectively.
Benzema, who scored his fourth goal in the Champions League this season on his 50th appearance in the competition, has also struggled for France.
He was roundly booed by the home fans in Paris when he was substituted in the second half of last month’s 1-0 World Cup qualifier defeat to Spain.
“We are relaxed,” Higuain told reporters.
“The coach has already said that he has never pressured us to score goals,” he added.
“I got to come on for 20 minutes to help the team and I was lucky enough to get that goal.”
Benzema added: “We played a great match and I’m always happy when the team wins. I managed to score too. That’s very good for me and for the club.”
On what was a near-perfect night for Real, midfielder Xabi Alonso and centre-back Sergio Ramos both picked up yellow cards late in the game to trigger one-match suspensions.
The Spain internationals can now serve out their bans in the second leg, giving them a clean slate for the semi-finals should Real advance as expected.
Mourinho has warned his players their work was only half done, though.
“They (Galatasaray) need a miracle but miracles happen in football, the history of football is full of miracles, why can they not dream of a miracle?” the former Chelsea manager said.
“They will give their all to try to pull off a historic result and I have enough experience to know that although I am happy with the result, the tie is not over. I have to convince my players to believe that too.”
Mourinho added: “The team played well and produced a professional and balanced performance.
“We defended well and were dangerous on the counter-attack. They knew that at this stage of this competition matches are decided by the slightest of margins, and we were concentrated and played with humility.”
Galatasaray coach Fatih Terim criticised referee Svein Oddvar Moen’s performance, above all his decision to book striker Burak Yilmaz instead of awarding a penalty following a challenge from Ramos late on.
“Maybe the name Real Madrid affected Galatasaray and the referee did not have courage,” Terim said.
“The referee made many mistakes. Burak was fouled, everyone saw it except for the referee, but despite everything there is nothing we can do, the result is there for everyone to see.”
Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema (right) shields the ball from Galatasaray’s Semih Kaya.