Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that he substituted Karim Benzema in Tuesday’s win at Chelsea as he had picked up an injury.
Los Blancos beat the Blues 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to secure a 4-0 aggregate win in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final. They will face either Manchester City or Bayern Munich in the last four.
A second-half brace from Rodrygo killed off any hope of a Chelsea comeback, with the reigning champions eventually easing their way into the semi-finals after a strong first 45 minutes from the hosts.
“It was known that we had to suffer in this type of game. They have tried everything. They have created problems for us especially on the left side, then we have fixed it. It was a complete game, it’s normal to suffer. We had a very solid level in defence and it’s a well-deserved victory,” Ancelotti told Movistar+ post-match.
But such a victory did not come without losses along the way, with David Alaba withdrawn at half-time with a muscle injury, Eder Militao picking up another yellow card to rule him out of the first leg of the semi-final and star man Benzema having to come off late in the day with a foot problem.
Elaborating on Alaba and Benzema’s injuries, Ancelotti added: “Alaba has had a problem, his hamstring was tight and we had made the change at the end of the first half. Karim had a blow, a stomp on his foot, it started to bother him at the end and we changed him.”
Benzema has been in the wars for Real Madrid this season, picking up various knocks in a busy campaign – he has already missed 13 games for them due to injury problems.
Los Blancos return to La Liga action on Saturday when Celta Vigo visit the Santiago Bernabeu. They then travel to Girona next Tuesday.
Real Madrid also face Almeria and Real Sociedad in La Liga before their Copa del Rey final with Osasuna on May 6. The first leg of their Champions League semi-final falls on May 9.
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