Karim Benzema nets historic hat trick in Camp Nou rout of Barca originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Karim Benzema made El Clasico history on Wednesday.
The star Real Madrid striker scored three goals to power Los Blancos to a 4-0 victory (4-1 agg.) over FC Barcelona in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals at Spotify Camp Nou.
Benzema became the first Real Madrid player to net a hat trick in El Clasico since Ivan Zamorano in 1995 and the first to do so at the iconic Barcelona venue since Ferenc Puskas in 1963.
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After Vinicius Jr. leveled the tie in first-half stoppage time, Benzema put Real Madrid ahead with a 50th-minute shot from the top of the box.
The 35-year-old doubled his goal count early in the second half, smoothly knocking home a 58th-minute penalty kick.
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Benzema capped his historic performance on the counter in the 80th minute, beating goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen thanks to an assist from Vinicius Jr.
It was Benzema's second consecutive hat trick after scoring three times against Real Valladolid in La Liga on Sunday.
Real Madrid, which trails first-place Barcelona by 12 points in La Liga, will face Osasuna in the Copa del Rey final on May 6. It will be Los Blancos' first appearance in the competition's final since 2014 when they defeated Barcelona.
