Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has made history by becoming the first player to ever score a European hat-trick against Chelsea.
The French international already had one hat-trick to his name in this season's competition, helping Los Blancos come from behind to eliminate Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16. This time, though, after soaking in praise from Rio Ferdinand before the game, it took him just 46 minutes to hit a treble.
Two first-half headers had put Carlo Ancelotti's side ahead, with Kai Havertz halving the deficit before half-time. Just moments after the restart, though, Benzema capitalised on an Edouard Mendy error to get his third of the night and bring his tally for the season up to a phenomenal 37 goals in just 36 appearances in all competitions.
In addition to the hat-trick achievement, Benzema set another record on the night. According to Opta, Benzema's efforts made him the first French player to ever hit double-figures in a Champions League season.
He scored five times in the group stage - including a double in a win over Shakhtar Donetsk - and three in the last-16 clash, with three more in London taking him up to 11. France under-21 international Sebastien Haller also has 11 goals in this season's competition, but he switched his international allegiances to Cote d'Ivoire in 2020.
Only one Frenchman hit double-figures in the competition's previous incarnation, the European Cup. That was Just Fontaine, who scored 10 times for Reims in the 1958-59 season, and Benzema surpassed that tally with his third goal at Stamford Bridge.
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The defeat was Chelsea's second on the spin at Stamford Bridge, after their shock loss against Brentford in the Premier League. While there's still a second leg to play, Real Madrid may well be confident of history repeating itself.
Chelsea beat the Spanish league leaders in last season's Champions League semi-final, before going on to beat Manchester City in Porto. However, Real Madrid have an enviable record against defending champions in the competition.
They have knocked out the reigning European champions on four occasions before, and each time they went on to win the competition that same season. In 1997-98 they saw off Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals, in 1999-2000 they claimed a quarter-final victory over Manchester United, and Bayern Munich were conquered at the same stage in 2001-02.
The quartet of results was completed under current boss Ancelotti in 2013-14, with Bayern Munich beaten 5-0 on aggregate in the semis. And if they hold on to their advantage after the second leg against Chelsea, they have as good a chance as anyone of claiming glory.
