(Football news) The Santiago Bernabeu once again witnessed another magical Champions League night this time against Chelsea. Real Madrid won the first leg 3-1 at Stamford Bridge thanks to Karim Benzema's hat-trick. Chelsea were asked to pull off the impossible task of coming back from a two goal deficit at the Santiago Bernabeu and they almost did it.
The comeback was started by Mason Mount who scored after being set up by Timo Werner in the 15th minute. Real Madrid had started the game well but the goal just shook their system. Chelsea had complete control over the game and Los Blancos were not able to get hold of the ball. In the 51st minute Antonio Rudiger got the tie back on level terms as he scored from a corner. Real Madrid were very unhappy because it was never a corner in the first place as it came off a Chelsea player. 11 minutes later Marcos Alonso scored to put Chelsea ahead on aggregate but the goal was ruled out for a handball.
Chelsea did get their goal in the 75th minute via Timo Werner which put the Blues 4-3 up on aggregate. Real Madrid looked dead and buried but with the home crowd behind them they found a way. Luka Modric played a sumptuous trivela cross into the box for Rodrygo who scored with a first time volley just 2 minutes after coming on. The game went into extra time where Vinicius Jr assisted Karim Benzema who scored another header to seal the match for Real Madrid. Chelsea had a few chances before the final whistle but couldn't find the back of the net. Chelsea played the game perfectly in terms of tactics and character. At the end they were defeated by individual brilliance and the Bernabeu advantage.
Thomas Tuchel mapped out a perfect tactical plan with a 4 man defence. Reece James was constantly on Vinicius Jr as the Brazilian didn't have space to run into. The one time James was not on Vinicius was when the winger crossed it to Benzema for the winner. Timo Werner had a really good game scoring one and assisting another. Antonio Rudiger put in a shift in defence and also scored the equaliser. Chelsea missed Romelu Lukaku who would've been a handful for Real Madrid. Eder Militao suspension and Jesus Vallejo's Covid case meant that Ancelotti had to play Dani Carvajal at centre back for extra time. Lukaku would've been lethal in the box with his heading ability.
Luka Modric once again put in a shift for 120 minutes as his magical assist took the game to extra time. Fede Valverde ran all over the place and still had energy in the final minutes. Eduardo Camavinga came on in the 73rd minute and dictated the play really well. Rodrygo scored a goal minutes after coming on while Marcelo once again showed that 'class is permanent' with a solid performance as a substitute. Real Madrid will face the winner of Manchester City vs Atletico Madrid in the semifinal.
Also read: City captain Fernandinho announces decision to leave before CL clash
