Karim Benzema Real MadridGetty Images

Real Madrid's Benzema explains reasoning for risking Panenka penalty against Manchester City

Karim Benzema has explained the reasons behind his Panenka penalty in Real Madrid's Champions League semi-final first leg against Manchester City last month at the Etihad Stadium.

The Frenchman delivered a sublime spot-kick to deliver a final score of 4-3 in favour of the hosts - and ensured that Madrid were close enough to force extra-time a week later in a dramatic second leg that saw them seal a place in the final against Liverpool.

Benzema was the matchwinner from the spot again on that occasion, but it was his finish in Manchester that got everybody talking - and now he has revealed that it was a move he had been waiting to pull off in a big game.

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What has Benzema said about his Panenka?

"I was trying for a long time [to do this]," the forward said in an interview with UEFA. "I was waiting for the right moment, in a match like this with a lot of pressure. In a way, the pressure is gone, [or] it's good pressure, it's a kind of pressure that allows you to do this kind of thing.

"It was my opinion, I don't know about the others. I put the ball down and I knew that I was going to do it. I thought of nothing else, I only thought of doing it."

Asked about his dramatic expression as he followed the finish, Benzema added he was convinced it was going in, stating: "I kept my eyes on the ball because it was a nice shot. That's why I was looking at it, not because I thought it was going to hit the bar.

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