Top Winners and Losers After Wednesday's Champions League Quarterfinals Leg 1 Results
The Champions League quarterfinals continued on Wednesday, with Real Madrid smacking the defending champions Chelsea 3-1 and Villarreal stunning Bayern Munich, 1-0.
It was another fantastic day of football, and below we'll break down the biggest winners and losers from the first-leg action.
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Winner: Karim Benzema
Any time one of these articles is written and Real Madrid played, it's basically a given that Karim Benzema will be among the winners.
So it won't come as a surprise that the Real Madrid striker notched a hat trick on Wednesday, his latest flash of brilliance in what has been a superb run during the Champions League.
There are no shortage of stats and graphics to put into context just how special he's been this season:
Chelsea may be the UCL holders, but trying to get through a Benzema-led Real Madrid is an enormous task.
Loser: Edouard Mendy
Chelsea found themselves in a hole early, as Benzema beat Edouard Mendy twice with headers within the first 24 minutes of the game.
But in the 40th minute Chelsea got one back, heading into the second half down only a goal:
And then this happened:
Woof.
That's a decision that Mendy would love to have back, especially with Benzema looming. And it made Chelsea's hurdle against Real Madrid all the taller heading into the second leg.
Winner: Arnaut Danjuma
It isn't easy to slay a giant. But Arnaut Danjuma kicked down Bayern's beanstalk on Wednesday.
The Villarreal winger finished off a brilliant team goal in the first half, giving the Spanish side an advantage it wouldn't squander:
Danjuma had a few chances to widen that gap, hitting the post on one attempt and completely whiffing on another. But Villarreal will be pleased to take a one-goal advantage to Munich, with Unai Emery's charges proving to be a tough side to break down while posing a real threat on the counter.
Winner: Unai Emery
It might be easy to pick a loser for Bayern here, from a group of attackers who failed to produce a goal to a defense that was alarmingly carved up by Villarreal's counter. Fair enough.
But Unai Emery deserves a lot of credit for a fantastic game plan against the Bavarian giants. His team defended fiercely and was vibrant going forward when given the chance. This was an Emery gem.
Replicating the feat in the second leg will be a major challenge. But Villarreal certainly looked up for it in the first one.
