Benzema sails Madrid through

Frenchman Karim Benzema has scored a hattrick for Real Madrid to close the club's most successful Champions League group campaign.

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Karim Benzema's hat trick sparked Real Madrid to a 4-0 victory over Auxerre on Wednesday to close out their most successful Champions League group campaign.

Benzema headed Cristiano Ronaldo's well-guided pass into the top of goal for a 12th-minute opener that was nine-time champion Madrid's 300th goal in the competition.

Ronaldo capped a quick counterattack with his 21st goal of the season in the 49th.

Benzema then beat Olivier Sorin in the 72nd before the France striker capped his best performance with the Spanish club in the closing stages as he stole the ball from the Auxerre goalkeeper and curled it into the net.

Madrid, which has won all 11 games at its Santiago Bernabeu stadium this season, finished top of Group G with 16 points after a fifth win in six games going into the knockout stages. AC Milan finished second with eight points after losing 2-0 to Ajax, which was third with seven. French club Auxerre was last with three points.

Madrid coach Jose Mourinho served out a one-game ban for instructing Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos to get deliberate red cards in its previous game so they could serve suspensions on Wednesday and have a clean slate in the next round.

Iker Casillas, Gonzalo Higuain, Angel Di Maria and Sami Khedira were also left out of the lineup with top spot already secured.

Ronaldo was in the starting 11, however, despite the risk of a booking leaving him out of the first-leg knockout round game.

Madrid started well and Ronaldo dribbled free along the left side to pick out Benzema at the far post, and the France striker dived to head the ball into the roof of goal.

Ronaldo should have doubled the lead in the 21st but the Portugal forward guided Pedro Leon's perfect cross wide with Sorin beaten.

Jerzy Dudek - filling in for Casillas - was first tested in the 26th as the Madrid goalie reacted quickly to save Jean-Pascal Mignot's low-flying header.

Dennis Oliech kept 23-year-old Antonio Adan alert before Ronaldo scored his fourth of the competition after Marcelo threaded a perfect cross-field pass to him to fire into the top corner.

Benzema slipped past the defence to meet Lassana Diarra's long pass before curling a left-footed shot under Sorin.

Moments after hitting into the side netting, the Frenchman scored his fourth in Europe thanks to a careless pass by Sorin, who could only look back as Benzema lobbed an angled shot over him into the empty goal.

Madrid goes into the last 16 draw on December 17 as top seed of its group ahead of AC Milan, while Ajax will play in the Europa League after finishing third.






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Source: AFP



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