Real Madrid triumphed over Chelsea in a dramatic quarterfinal at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on Tuesday, overcoming yet another memorable night in the UEFA Champions League.
After losing 3-2 on the night but winning 5-4 on aggregate, it was Karim Benzema who made the difference once more, scoring in extra time to secure Madrid’s place in the semifinals.
After Benzema scored a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge last week, Madrid took a 3-1 lead into the second leg, but the tie was flipped on its head after Chelsea rallied back to lead 3-0 on the night.
Mason Mount, Antonio Rudiger, and Timo Werner scored goals to give the reigning European champion another memorable victory, but Madrid came back with 10 minutes left to force extra time.
The outstanding Luka Modri arranged Madrid’s opening goal, which was simply a work of beauty. Rodrygo volleyed home from close range after the midfielder made a superb ball with the outside of his boot.
After another 30 minutes of frenetic football, Madrid scored the game-winning goal in extra time, with Benzema heading home a wonderful cross from Vincius Jr.
After the game, Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti told reporters, “The more I suffer, the happier I am. “We triumphed because we had the energy to keep the contest alive, but it was a lot of agonies.” He went on to say, “The players were brave and met it head-on like warriors.”
Chelsea was much improved for its journey to Spain, after looking mediocre in the first leg, and came so close to a spectacular victory. The three goals had temporarily quieted the home crowd, and Madrid was struggling to find a way to stop the Premier League side.
Chelsea had chances to win the tie throughout the game, and a goal by Marcos Alonso was disallowed by the video assistant referee (VAR) after he was adjudged to have handled the ball before slamming his shot into the top corner of the net.
Chelsea came close several times in extra time, with Madrid holding on, but failed to score the crucial goal that would have forced a penalty shootout. Kai Havertz, who was outstanding in the second leg, could have scored with a clean header inside the area that he steered wide.
Despite being knocked out, manager Thomas Tuchel, who was continually prowling the touchline and yelling at his players, stated he was pleased with his team. “Today, we pushed ourselves to the limit.
Tuchel, who was issued a yellow card for his heated appeals toward the referee in the dying stages, stated, “I’m really proud of my players and I believe we deserved to qualify, but luck was not on our side.”
“I have no regrets.” As a sportsman, these are the kinds of defeats you can be proud of. The demand for Chelsea players is extremely great, and the players have responded in a way that we can all be proud of.”
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In the end, Real Madrid, the 13-time European champion, prevailed and will now face either Manchester City or Atlético Madrid in the final four.
