Pep Guardiola's reaction to Karim Benzema's ice cold 'panenka' penalty during Tuesday night's Champions League semi-final clash at the Etihad was captured on camera – and it sums up the sheer audacity of the strike.
Manchester City and Real Madrid gave us a seven-goal thriller in arguably the most entertaining clash of the competition so far in their semi-final, first leg.
And as the home side prepared to take a two-goal lead to the Bernabeu after goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva, the prolific Benzema gave his side a fighting change ahead of next week's clash by doing this.
It was a moment that silenced the Etihad. Everyone in the stadium was in shock, including Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who couldn't quite believe what he had just seen from the Frenchman.
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Fan footage captured Guardiola's reaction and well, he could only put his hands to his head after seeing that audacious finish.
Did anybody else react like this at home?
Former Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil tipped his former Real Madrid teammate for the Ballon d'Or during last night's coverage. "What a fantastic game," the 33-year-old tweeted. "Give my boy Benzi the Ballon D'Or."
He isn't the only player to have the same opinion.
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Even before the game, Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan claimed Benzema has "everything it takes" to win the Ballon d'Or prize after a magnificent season for club and country.
“Right now, for me, Benzema is, along with [Robert] Lewandowski, the best striker in the world,” Gundogan told RT1.
“He’s good with both feet, good in the air...I think he was underrated in the past and now he is proving his critics were wrong.
“For a long time he was in Cristiano Ronaldo’s shadow, especially in the press, but now he’s getting the attention and credit he deserves. His achievements speak for themselves. Benzema has everything it takes to win the Ballon d’Or.”
Thoughts on Benzema's goal? Does he deserve to win the Ballon d'Or this time around?
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Let us know in the comments.
Featured Image Credit: GOAL/TwitterTopics: Manchester City, Ilkay Gundogan, Champions League, Mesut Ozil, Karim Benzema, Pep Guardiola, Real Madrid
