A masterclass at Stamford Bridge

K9 [Karim Benzema, No. 9] is Spiderman. K9 is Wolverine. K9 is the doorman in your building. K9 is your best friend. K9 is your grandmother. K9 is the president of the USA. K9 is the guide that you parachute with. K9 is your guardian angel. K9 is God.

— Real Madrid and Spain legend Iker Casillas

Carlo Ancelotti hailed Karim Benzema's "fantastic" hat-trick as he fired Real Madrid to a 3-1 win against Chelsea that put the Champions League holders on the brink of elimination after Wednesday's quarter-final first leg.

Ancelotti compared Benzema to a fine wine that improves with age. "He just gets better and better, like wine," Ancelotti told reporters. "He is really complete, not just as a striker but as a player. Benzema scores a lot of goals and this is really important but he also helps the team a lot in possession. We are really happy and lucky to have him."

Benzema produced a masterclass at Stamford Bridge and was proving Madrid's maestro once again as the France striker netted twice in the first half with two perfectly-taken headers. Kai Havertz reduced the deficit before the interval, but Benzema punished a woeful mistake from Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy in the second half to complete his treble.

It was the sublime Benzema's second successive Champions League hat-trick after he single-handedly inspired their epic comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 second leg.

Benzema is the first player to score hat-tricks in consecutive Champions League knockout ties since Cristiano Ronaldo for Real in 2017. With 11 goals this term, Benzema has scored more times than any other Frenchman in a single European Cup campaign, moving past Just Fontaine's 10-goal haul in 1958-59.

"They're magic nights. Today we came out to win, to show we're Real Madrid," Benzema said. "We played well from the first minute to the last. They're very important goals."