UEFA Quarter-finals: Real Madrid's Benzema Buries Chelsea With A Hat-trick – Villarreal Shocks Bayern 1-0, Breaks Record In Champions League

The Spanish side, Villareal are the first to keep a clean sheet against Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League since Liverpool in February 2019, ending a run of 30 consecutive games in which the German side had netted atleast once.

Dafy World gathered that Unai Emery's team, the home-standing Villarreal blank Bundesliga giant, Bayern Munich 1-0 in Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final first leg thanks to Arnaut Danjuma's early goal.

More than three years have passed since Bayern last failed to hit the target in the Champions League.

Liverpool were the last side to shut out the Bavarians, in a 0-0 draw in February 2019.

Exactly 30 games had passed since that last blank, in which time Bayern have smashed no fewer than 101 goals.

Coincidentally, the Spaniard was also in charge of Paris Saint-Germain when they overcame Bayern in September 2017, the last time they lost in the competition away from home.

Bayern will now look to turn the tables on Emery in the second leg at Allianz Arena, which takes place on April 12.

Chelsea must overturn a two-goal deficit at Real Madrid to salvage their Champions League defence after Karim Benzema's hat-trick secured a 3-1 quarter-final first-leg victory over the error-strewn holders at Stamford Bridge in London.

The Champions League holders had the better of the opening 20 minutes, but it was Real that opened the scoring when Benzema smashed a header into the top corner of Edouard Mendy's goal from a stellar cross by Vinicius Junior.

Benzema doubled the lead for Carlo Ancelotti's side minutes later with another gorgeous header, leaning back and lofting his effort from Luka Modric's pinpoint pass over the outstretched arms of Mendy to make it 2-0 to the visitors before 25 minutes.

Chelsea hit back just before the break, though, as Thibaut Courtois could only watch Kai Havertz power a header of his own from Jorginho's delightful chipped-in ball past him to halve the deficit for Thomas Tuchel's side after 45 thrilling minutes ( exactly 46).

Tuchel made double changes after the break replacing Mateo Kovacic for Andreas Christensen and Hakim Ziyech for N'Golo Kante, Real started the second half in style as Benzema completed his hat trick thanks to a Mendy blunder that allowed the Frenchman to shoot into a wide open net.

Real Madrid has 2 away goals heading back to Spain for the second leg. Karim Benzema has scored 36 goals in 36 official games with Madrid this season.

Benzema's three goals took his tally to 36 across all competitions on the season, second only to the 45 Robert Lewandowski has scored for Bayern Munich in Europe's top-five leagues, while breaking his own record as the oldest player to score a UCL hat trick at 34 years, 108 days.