Benzema happy despite Real struggle

Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema said the Champions League win over APOEL on Tuesday did not come easy.

Jose Mourinho’s men were unable to breach the APOEL defence in the opening 45 minutes in the first leg of their quarter-final tie.

But the Spanish giants eventually broke the deadlock in the 74th minute when Kaka set up Benzema for the opener, before the pair added two more in the closing stages for a 3-0 away win.

“It was a very difficult game, especially in the first half,” Benzema told the Madrid website.

“The game improved after half-time and we earned a very important victory. We will keep it up in the return leg.

“APOEL are a very tough opponent and made things hard for us. This is an important victory, but this isn’t over yet. We want to give a good performance before our fans in the return leg.

“I had a very good chance to score before I netted my first, but I tallied two in the end and that’s what matters. We did very well and took a major step towards winning the tie.”

The second leg is at the Santiago Bernabeu on April 4.