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Benzema scores twice, Real Madrid beats 10-man Bilbao 3-1
By JOSEPH WILSONDecember 15, 2020 GMT
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) Karim Benzema scored two late goals to give Real Madrid a 3-1 win over 10-man Athletic Bilbao, helping lift his team level on points with the front-runners of the Spanish league on Tuesday.
Bilbao proved to be tough opponent at Alfredo Di Stéfano stadium despite playing most of the match with only 10 men. But when the Basque Country team was threatening to at least salvage a point, Benzema scored his team-high ninth and 10th goals of the season.
“For me (Benzema) is the best because without playing a great game, he scored two goals,” Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane said about his striker. “He always appears when we need him. That is a sign of a great player.”
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Real Madrid move joint-top of the league with their win | Denis Doyle/Getty Images
Real Madrid scraped past ten-man Athletic Bilbao thanks to a late brace from star-man Karim Benzema.
The visitors played most of the game with 10 men after veteran midfielder Raul Garcia was given a second yellow card in the 13th minute of the game. It took Zinedine Zidane s side a while to get going though, before Toni Kroos low drive from the edge of the box found the bottom corner in first half injury time.
RECASTS with Zidane quotes
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane hailed Karim Benzema as the best centre-forward in French history after his match-winning double against Athletic Bilbao put them joint top of La Liga on Tuesday.
Bilbao s Ander Capa had cancelled out Toni Kroos s thumping strike before Benzema, 32, struck twice late on, heading home a cross with 16 minutes remaining and finishing clinically in stoppage time from Luka Modric s pass.
Afterwards Zidane had no hesitation in declaring Benzema as France s best ever centre-forward, putting him at the top of a list that includes Thierry Henry, Kylian Mbappe, Jean-Pierre Papin and Just Fontaine.
Real Madrid s Karim Benzema best French striker ever - Zinedine Zidane
Toni Kroos put Madrid ahead in the first half after Athletic had been reduced to 10 men, but Ander Capa s equaliser threatened to end their winning run before Benzema scored his fifth and sixth league goals of the season. He s the best, Zidane said in his post-match news conference. Without playing a really good game today, he scored twice again. He always shows up, that s what the great players do.
The French coach was asked if he believed Benzema, 32, deserved to be ranked ahead of legendary compatriots such as Raymond Kopa, Michel Platini, Jean-Pierre Papin and Thierry Henry.