As Manchester City supporters' hearts sank, Karim Benzema set off on his lap of honour.
After Real Madrid's tormentor-in-chief had ended Paris Saint-Germain's hopes of lifting their maiden Champions League title in the last-16 and extinguished Chelsea's hopes of retaining their crown in the quarter-finals, it was highly likely that he would have the decisive say in the semi-final against Pep Guardiola's side.
And so it proved. After Rodrygo, from nowhere, scored twice for Madrid to send their last-four showdown with City at the Bernabeu to extra time on Wednesday evening, Benzema ensured, once again, that he stole the headline moment, converting a penalty in the first period of extra time to seal Madrid's place in yet another Champions League final, booking a mouth-watering showdown with Liverpool.