Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema set an unwanted record on Wednesday night as he missed two penalties in his side's win over Osasuna.
The Frenchman has been in stunning form this season and is an early contender to win this year's Ballon d'Or title. He is in the best goalscoring form of his career with 39 goals and counting – the best of his career - including a quickfire second half hat-trick which eliminated Paris Saint-Germain in a remarkable Champions League Round of 16 comeback described as "magic" by home boss Carlo Ancelotti before bagging another treble against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge at the quarter final stage.
Goals from David Alaba, Marco Asensio and Lucas Vazquez secured a 3-1 win for Ancelotti’s side at Osasuna on Wednesday night but it could and should have been more for Madrid, who are on the brink of being crowned champions of Spain. Sergio Herrera was Osasuna's hero between the posts, twice thwarting Benzema from the penalty spot in the space of seven minutes.
Herrera twice saved from the striker who has scored 13 goals in the last eight matches, ensuring that Benzema was the first player in La Liga to miss two penalties in a single game in 16 years – when Raul Tamudo was thwarted twice for Espanyol against Real Betis. Furthermore, the 34-year-old is the first striker ever to miss two penalties in the same La Liga game for Los Blancos. Herrera said after the game: “I knew that his left side was his go-to position. I have trusted my instinct and I have done a little psychological work.”
Alaba and Asensio both netted in the first half for the runaway league leaders while Ante Budimir kept Osasuna in touch with his own early strike. Lucas Vazquez added a third late on for Real Madrid, despite Benzema failing twice from the penalty spot. Ancelotti responded when quizzed on Benzema’s saved penalties: "He is going to score in the next game."
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Benzema revealed in October how landing the gong had always been a dream for him: "Since I was little, I have had the dream of winning the Ballon d'Or, which is the dream that all footballers have. It is true that the most important thing is always the team, but when you help your team to win, when you are involved in important plays and score a lot of goals, the next thing is to win the Ballon d'Or, which in my head and in my thoughts. Of course, I am going to do everything possible and I am going to work as hard as possible to have that great trophy, to hopefully win it one day and fulfil that dream that I have had since I was a child."
Benzema joined Real Madrid from Lyon in the summer of 2009, the same year that Ronaldo moved to the Spanish capital from Manchester United. Much of his first decade at the club saw Benzema used as a foil for the Portuguese superstar, who netted a club record 450 goals in 438 appearances. Benzema was often deployed on the right-side of a three-man attack and was primarily involved in build-up play rather than scoring, but Ronaldo’s exit has allowed him to flourish. He has scored 435 goals across his senior club and international career.
