Benzema revels in Auxerre rout

Karim Benzema stole the show in Real Madrid's final group stage match against erstwhile sparring partner Auxerre of Ligue 1, netting the first hat-trick of his career in La Liga in a 4-0 win. Benzema, one of France's hottest prospects at Lyon, has struggled to impose himself on the Spanish game and in the early stages of the season incurred incoming coach José Mourinho's wrath for his somewhat laissez-faire approach to training and timekeeping.

Real paid 35 million eurosfor Benzema in the summer of 2009, but his performances last season made a mockery of the price tag. Top scorer in France in 2008 and shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or, Benzema banged in 55 goals in his final two seasons at Lyon, but managed just nine in his first term at Real. With Gonzalo Higuaín sidelined, the scoring onus has been left to Cristiano Ronaldo, who bagged Real's other goal for his 20th of the season in 21 games. Benzema's woeful display in the 5-0 Camp Nou débâcle saw him relegated to the bench against Valencia last weekend. Now, he has given Mourinho new pause for thought, even if the Auxerre match was merely a formality. "The fans want me to score lots of goals and today with three I think they will be happy," the Frenchman said.

"He showed he is a born goalscorer and helped his team to win," added Real assistant coach Aitor Karanka, deputizing for the sanctioned Mourinho. Real now awaits the draw for the next round, to be made on December 17. Mourinho can burnish his aura by leading Real to the quarterfinals for the first time in seven years but there are strong teams in the group runners-up pot: Real might face Inter, Arsenal, Lyon — which accounted for Madrid at the first knockout stage last year and a team Real has never beaten — Roma, Marseille or Copenhagen. Mourinho will hope for one of the latter two.

Barcelona also progressed as group winner, and finally got the better of its European nemesis, Rubin Kazan, in a 2-0 victory achieved with several of its young cantera stars on the field. Pep Guardiola's team faces the same set of potential opponents, with AC Milan also lurking in the shadows as Copenhagen was grouped with the Catalan club.

Arsenal coach Arsène Wenger, whose side progressed with a final day 3-1 win over Partizan Belgrade, might have a chance to seek revenge for his side's humbling at the hands of Barça last season. "Let's be realistic, they are the super favorites in the competition, but we will take what we get and if it's Barcelona, it's Barcelona."

Valencia's 1-1 tie against Manchester United sent the English side through as group winner. Unai Emery's team will therefore draw a second-round fixture against one of Tottenham Hotspur, Schalke 04, Bayern Munich, Chelsea or Shakhtar Donetsk.