Chelsea put on a much-improved performance but were still no match for Real Madrid, who booked their place in the semi-final of the Champions League with another 2-0 victory over the Blues.
A double from Rodrygo in the second half got the job done for Real and crushed all spirits at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea once again being made to pay for their lack of cutting edge in attack in what was an otherwise solid performance.
Chelsea made a solid start to proceedings, pressing high and forcing even Luka Modric into a misplaced pass. The Blues could have even taken a lead ten minutes in when a deflection fell to an unmarked N’Golo Kante ten yards out, but the Frenchman sliced his volley wide under very little pressure.
It was all Chelsea for the first quarter of the game but Rodrygo did sting the gloves of Kepa Arrizabalaga on a rare foray down the pitch.
Conor Gallagher headed over from close range from a Marc Cucurella cross, although the offside flag was later raised, with Chelsea still knocking on the door but finding a clear-cut chance hard to come by.
Down the other end, Luka Modric fired low at Kepa but was comfortably stopped, with Real having to work incredibly hard to even get half a sight of the Chelsea goal. The Croatian later fizzed in a cross towards Vinicius Junior, who couldn’t make the required contact to convert what was perhaps the best chance of the game so far.
In the dying embers of the half, Thibaut Courtois was called on to make an outstanding save to deny Marc Cucurella, who could not find a way past the Belgian’s enormous frame from close range.
The second half began with the same story as Kante had the chance to volley towards goal from close range, but Eder Militao managed to throw himself in the way.
Against the run of play, however, Real snatched the lead. Rodrygo went bursting down the right and fizzed in a cross which Karim Benzema could not convert, but the ball fell back to the Brazilian and he made no mistake from six yards.
Chelsea brought out the reinforcements in response to the goal, but the morale was gone at that point and Real even bagged a second with ten minutes to go.
Federico Valverde arrived late in the box and sat down Kepa with a perfect cut-back to Rodrygo, who walked the ball into an empty net to remove any doubt about the result.
Vinicius and Mykhailo Mudryk both saw one-on-one chances, that neither managed to convert, pulled back for offside late on
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga – 6/10 – Some smart saves to stop Real from adding to their lead in the first half.
CB: Trevoh Chalobah – 6/10 – Caught out of position a few times but deserves credit for limiting the threat down his side. Began to struggle as Real stepped up.
CB: Thiago Silva – 6/10 – Did very well to keep Benzema quiet but the speed of Rodrygo took its toll in the second half.
CB: Wesley Fofana – 7/10 – A sensational job on Vinicius. Didn’t win every battle but got the vast majority of them right.
RM: Reece James – 6/10 – Played more as a central midfielder than a wing-back, but got forward down the right plenty in the first half. Saw his influence fade as the game ticked on.
CM: Enzo Fernandez – 6/10 – Solid but unspectacular. Helped recycle possession without offering a cutting edge going forwards.
CM: Mateo Kovacic – 6/10 – A little frustrating in the final third, including a sensational air volley, but flexed his pressing and passing quality to keep Chelsea on the front foot.
LM: Marc Cucurella – 5/10 – Got forward into a lot of nice positions but didn’t do enough in the final third. Miles out of position for the opening goal.
AM: N’Golo Kante – 6/10 – Did his usual midfield job with real quality but the issue of him playing further forward meant his attacking struggles were a problem. Should’ve scored early on.
AM: Conor Gallagher – 6/10 – Another whose energy was key, Gallagher’s attacking work also left a little to be desired.
ST: Kai Havertz – 6/10 – Played some nice link-up passes with those around him but, as Chelsea’s only actual attacker in the starting lineup, he needed to do more.
Substitutes
Joao Felix (67′ for Gallagher) – 5/10
Raheem Sterling (67′ for Fernandez) – 5/10
Mykhailo Mudryk (67′ for Cucurella) – 5/10
Mason Mount (76′ for Havertz) – 5/10
Manager
Frank Lampard – 6/10 – Can’t fault the setup as Chelsea enjoyed a sensational first half which should have yielded a goal or two. Just couldn’t get the pieces to fall in the right place.
GK: Thibaut Courtois – 7/10 – A huge save to deny Cucurella and keep the score level at half-time.
RB: Dani Carvajal – 6/10 – Did a nice job of making things awkward for Cucurella.
CB: Eder Militao – 7/10 – Needed to be at his best to keep Chelsea at bay. A series of brilliant blocks early in the second half. Booked and suspended for the first leg of the semi-final.
CB: David Alaba – 6/10 – Had a solid first half before being surprisingly withdrawn at the break.
LB: Eduardo Camavinga – 7/10 – Solid defensively and really impressive when given the chance to get forwards.
DM: Toni Kroos – 5/10 – Didn’t offer much cover for his defence and wasn’t given the time to get control of the game.
CM: Federico Valverde – 7/10 – Typical energy in midfield to keep Real moving forwards when they needed him.
CM: Luka Modric – 6/10 – Misplaced two passes in the first 15 minutes but eventually regained his composure.
RW: Rodrygo – 8/10 – Wasn’t allowed to get involved in the game before his goal but went on to make the telling impact.
ST: Karim Benzema – 5/10 – Received very little service and couldn’t force his way into the game.
LW: Vinicius Junior – 5/10 – A surprisingly quiet performance from the Brazilian, who get no change from Fofana.
Substitutes
Antonio Rudiger (46′ for Alaba) – 6/10
Aurelien Tchouameni (71′ for Benzema) – 6/10
Dani Ceballos (76′ for Kroos) – 6/10
Nacho Fernandez (81′ for Carvajal) – N/A
Marco Asensio (81′ for Rodrygo) – N/A
Manager
Carlo Ancelotti – 6/10 – Watched his side hang on in the first half before exploding into life late on. Took advantage of Chelsea’s tired legs like the wily old veteran he is.
Player of the match – Rodrygo (Real Madrid)
Credit: 90min.com
