Benzema and his ‘Panenka’ penalty against Manchester City: “I was just waiting for the right moment”

One of the best strikers of the season told why he decided to take a difficult shot in a decisive match. Karim Benzema recognized that when the pressure is greater, he is more motivated to take risks such as the ‘Panenka’ shot of a penalty that, later, was decisive in the semifinals of the Champions League between Real Madrid vs. Manchester City.

Real Madrid was inferior to City at the Etihad and lost 4-2 to Pep Guardiola’s team in the first leg of the Champions League. However, after a handball from Laporte, the main referee ordered a penalty and Benzema surprised everyone with a shot that, he revealed, he had been training for some time.

“I had been practicing the ‘Panenka’ for a long time and was just waiting for the right moment. In a match like the one in Manchester, in which there is a lot of pressure, but that type of pressure is what allows you to make gestures like that, the best for me”, assured in statements to RMC Sports.

Benzema had missed two penalties in LaLiga, a fact that did not condition him to score a key goal for Real Madrid to reach the final of the ‘Champions’ on May 28 in Paris against Liverpool.

“If you don’t take penalties, it’s clear that you’re not going to miss them. I placed the ball on the ground and I knew I was going to throw it Panenka style. I had nothing else in mind, just throw it that way, “ he claimed.

The French striker had the opportunity to shoot from twelve steps again, but it was during the second leg at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. Karim Benzema scored the goal in extra time that gave the ‘White House’ team a pass to the final.