Our 5️⃣ points as Real Madrid and Milan take upper hands in UCL | OneFootball

The second bracket of Champions League quarter-final first leg ties concluded on Wednesday with both clashes finely poised.

Here is what we made of the proceedings across the two matches.

Benzema officially among UCL’s elite

Karim Benzema scoring on Champions League nights has become as inevitable as hearing the competition’s iconic anthem.

His track record against English clubs, too, appears a near certainty after scoring 11 times in his eight recent meetings with them.

But the reigning Ballon d’Or holder’s latest strike against Chelsea elevated him to another plane among Europe’s elite marksmen.

Only Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski have plundered more goals in the Champions League than Benzema’s haul of 90.

That the 35-year-old now joins that illustrious fraternity merely underlines why he remains a genuine gold standard.

Master trumps apprentice at the Bernabéu

Carlo Ancelotti and Frank Lampard shared a rare commonality ahead of their latest meeting.

Since their paths crossed at Chelsea during the late 2000s, Lampard followed in his former manager’s footsteps at both Stamford Bridge and Everton.

Competitively, they had been evenly matched in taking a victory apiece during Ancelotti’s surprising spell in the Goodison Park hot seat.

Yet the Italian’s big-game experience meant he was never likely to come unstuck against his former apprentice on Europe’s biggest stage.

Unlike his opposite number, Lampard’s pedigree as a player has failed to translate into a successful coaching career.

That naivety was typified in the second half at the Bernabéu when Marc Cucurella’s wandering led to Ben Chilwell’s straight red card.

So much for Todd Boehly’s prediction of a 3-0 away win.

Milan dare to dream of Istanbul again

AC Milan have long tried to avoid talk of a Champions League final in Istanbul – and with good reason.

Their previous visit to the Atatürk Stadium in 2005 became synonymous with one of the greatest comebacks in football history.

Still, the Rossoneri might allow themselves to dream of a return to Turkey after seizing an upper hand in their last-eight clash with Napoli.

Ismaël Bennacer’s first-half strike put Stefano Pioli’s side on course for a potential semi-final meeting with Inter, themselves two goals up on Benfica.

Given how rapidly their subpar city rivals’ season is beginning to unravel, Milan’s first showpiece appearance in 16 years looks increasingly promising.

Finally laying the ghost of 2005 to rest only serves to intensify the seven-time winners’ appetite to go all the way.

Napoli fail to disprove Spalletti’s theory

Barring a capitulation of epic proportions, Napoli are set to clinch their first Scudetto since Diego Maradona’s heyday.

In Luciano Spalletti’s eyes, however, matching that 33-year wait with a first European trophy still appeared beyond them.

The Partenopei manager had prophesised that Milan’s continental expertise would prove too strong for the champions-elect.

His side did their utmost to disprove that theory as they came flying out of the traps at the start of this San Siro showdown.

Yet Bennacer’s 40th-minute strike lit a different kind of fire as Napoli’s players began to lose their heads at the end of the first half.

Things failed to improve for the runaway Serie A leaders as they were reduced to 10 men after André-Frank Zambo Anguissa picked up two bookings in under four minutes.

Maybe Spalletti was onto something after all.

Will Lampard regret his homecoming?

By his own admission, Lampard’s return as interim Chelsea manager had arrived as something of a surprise.

Since being sacked by Everton three months ago, the former England midfielder had plenty of time to kill.

He was sat at home when Boehly beckoned him back for a second stint in the west Londoners’ dugout.

After presiding over back-to-back defeats, the sofa might be set to offer Lampard refuge again once his latest doomed homecoming ends this summer.

Taking the reins again always carried significant risks despite his legacy as the Blues’ all-time record goal scorer remaining untainted.

As things stand, this fleeting return to the spotlight threatens to kill off any future coaching prospects.