The Champions League Quarter Finals came to a close last week, so let’s get you caught up on all the action with an article a day.
After a shocking loss at home, the world champions, Chelsea, needed to pull off an unworldly comeback at the Santiago Bernabeu. At Stamford Bridge the week prior, Real Madrid beat Chelsea for the first time in their history off of Karim Benzema’s hat-trick. Manager Thomas Tuchel made four changes.
1st leg Starting XI: Mendy; Christensen, Thiago Silva, Rudiger; James, Kante, Jorginho, Azpilicueta (c); Mount, Havertz, Pulisic
2nd leg Starting XI: Mendy, James, Thiago Silva, Rudiger, Loftus-Cheek, Kante (c), Kovacic, Alonso, Mount, Havertz, Werner
Compared to the 1st leg, Tuchel opted to keep a more defensive back line while putting the German international duo of Havertz and Werner up top coupled with the Englishman Mount playing the CAM. Using a 3-4-1-2 formation, Tuchel hoped to eek out the 2 goal led necessary to advance while keeping a clean sheet
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti made a single change from the 1st leg, replacing the suspended Militao for Nacho. Ancelotti also chose to use a 4-3-3 with Valverde and Vinicius Junior out wide and Benzema playing the center forward role.
1st leg: Courtois, Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Mendy, Kroos, Casemiro, Modric, Valverde, Benzema (c), Vinicius Junior
2nd leg: Courtois, Carvajal, Nacho, Alaba, Mendy, Kroos, Casemiro, Modric, Valverde, Benzema (c), Vinicius Junior
The game started out strong with both teams trying to break open the other’s lines. Madrid got the first chance of the game as Reece James fouled Vinicius Junior just outside the box after he got beat and was issued a yellow card. Benzema took the free kick and hit the ball over the bar.
Four minutes later, Chelsea struck first as a deflection off Timo Werner gave Mason Mount the opportunity for a first time half-volley that he buried bottom left corner. Chelsea took advantage of their goal and kept up their attack, but Madrid fought back as Benzema took dangerous shots outside the box against Mendy and Vinicius Junior became a thorn in Reece James’ side. Benzema earned a yellow card in the 37th minute.
At the half, it was 1-0 Chelsea (2-3 agg.) but any team could be in the lead. Chelsea had the upper hand with opportunities and shots at this point.
In the 50th minute, Mason Mount whipped in a corner and, after a flurry of shots, Reece James’ shot took a deflection for a second corner. The next minute, Rudiger knocked in a header in the bottom right corner (3-3 agg.). A classic Champions League comeback was in the making.
Soon after, Carvajal served in a cross for Benzema and Benzema’s shot was blocked by Silva. The crowd roared, believing Silva hand-balled it, but the referee would have none of it. In the 56th minute, Kroos took a free kick. Mendy leaped and saved the dangerous shot. Valverde responded with a rocket that just missed the top left corner. Immediately after, Mount won the ball high up the field off of Mendy, and Chelsea were on the counter attack. Kante drove forward and dished the ball out wide to Alonso where his initial shot was blocked but he followed up with an unstoppable shot in the top right corner. VAR ruled the goal a hand-ball, giving Madrid an invigorated sense of energy.
Valverde, coming off a yellow card, played a through ball to Mendy, and he served in a cross. It was met in the air by Benzema as his header glanced off the crossbar and over. Chelsea was now on the back-foot as Madrid took charge.
The 73rd minute saw the first substitution of the night as Madrid’s Camavinga came on for Kroos. Camavinga was a little slow to get into the game and a small miscommunication along with a great combination with Alonso and Kroos allowed Timo Werner to slip in behind Madrid’s back line. Timo’s shot from the 6-yard box deflected off Courtois trickled into the back of the net. 3-0 Chelsea.
Ancelotti quickly changed tactics and sent in two substitutions. Rodrygo came on for Casemiro and Marcelo came on for Mendy. The next play, the header by Havertz off a Chelsea corner was barely saved by Courtois.
It didn’t take long for Madrid to find their spark. After winning a header, the ball landed at Luka Modric’s feet. In a turn of brilliance, Modric played an outside-of-the-boot cross that landed perfectly at the feet of Rodrygo who buried it (4-4 agg.).
Tuchel used his first substitution of the night in the 82nd minute as the American Christian Pulisic came on for Timo Werner. Lucas Vazquez then came on for Nacho in the 87th minute for Real Madrid. At the beginning of stoppage, Camavinga smartly fouled Pulisic as he looked to play Havertz and received a yellow card.
Thiago Silva served the ball in from half, and Rudiger flicked it on for Pulisic in the box, but his attempt sailed over the bar. Chelsea had the drive to win the game, and another cross, this time by Reece James, found Havertz head who flicked it on to Pulisic who hit it over the bar.
The game was headed into extra-time. In the 95th minute, Benzema headed in the game-winner off a cross from Vinicius Junior. Tuchel then took off Kante and replaced him with Ziyech in the 99th minute.
The energy was sapped out of Chelsea as Madrid looked for the final blow. Ziyech earned a yellow card in the 102nd minute. At the half of extra-time, Tuchel used his final two substitutes of the night on Loftus-Cheek and Kovacic, replacing them with Saul and Jorginho respectively.
As the heat rose, Havertz earned a yellow card in the 109th minute while Tuchel and normal skipper Azpilicueta earned cards on the sidelines.
In the final minutes, Chelsea could not get any real chances as Madrid parked the bus. In a final substitution, Dani Ceballos went on for Vinicius Junior with five minutes to play and Carvajal earned a yellow card with two minutes to play.
In a rematch of last year’s semi final tie, Real Madrid took revenge on the champions, Chelsea F.C. with a final aggregate score of 5-4. Madrid will now play last year’s runner-up, Manchester City, in the next two weeks for a spot in the final.
Check back tonight for the second Quarter Final: Manchester City vs Atlético Madrid.
The stats are as follows:
10’ Yellow Card – James
15’ Goal – Mount
37’ Yellow Card – Benzema
51’ Goal – Rudiger
68’ Yellow Card – Valverde
73’ Substitution – Camavinga for Kroos
75’ Goal – Werner
78’ Substitution – Marcelo for Mendy
78’ Substitution – Rodrygo for Casemiro
80’ Goal – Rodrygo
83’ Substitution – Pulisic for Werner
88’ Substitution – Vazquez for Nacho
90+2’ Yellow Card – Camavinga
96’ Goal – Benzema
99’ Substitution – Ziyech for Kante
102’ Yellow Card – Ziyech
106’ Substitution – Jorginho for Kovacic
106’ Substitution – Saul for Loftus-Cheek
109’ Yellow Card – Havertz
113’ Yellow Card – Tuchel
113’ Yellow Card – Azpilicueta
115’ Substitution – Ceballos for Vinicius Junior
118’ Yellow Card- Carvajal