Real Madrid dominated play against minnows Apoel Nicosia although the Cypriots, whose team is 60% Portuguese and Brazilian, kept them at bay until quite late in the game. It was a double substitution, Kaká and Marcelo coming on, which seemed to make all the difference.
Kaká provided a curling cross which Benzema headed home to break the deadlock and then scored a goal himself, getting on the end of a Marcelo cross. Benzema made it three with his second of the night and Real Madrid are now favourites to go through to the semi-finals providing they don’t do anything daft in the second leg.
Amazingly, there were no yellow cards in the entire match.
In the other match played on Tuesday night Chelsea take a slender 0-1 lead into the second leg against Benfica, Saloman Kalou the scorer of the only goal.