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Real Madrid welcomed Chelsea to the Santiago Bernabeu for their Champions League quarter-final second leg on Tuesday night (12 April). Los Blancos secured a well-deserved 3-1 win in the first leg last Wednesday (6 April).
The Whites felt the full wrath of the Premier League giants at the Santiago Bernabeu. Fortunately for the hosts, their experienced campaigners once again proved their mettle and kept Chelsea from turning the tie on its head. Madrid succumbed to a 2-3 defeat on the night but ended up progressing to the semi-finals with a 5-4 aggregate scoreline after extra time.
As expected, Thomas Tuchel’s team came flying off the gates and put pressure on Real Madrid right away. Their determination paid dividends as early as the 15th minute, when Mason Mount broke the deadlock. Shell-shocked by the early goal, Madrid scrambled to create opportunities of their own but couldn't conjure anything meaningful. The Whites ended the first half without lodging a shot on target.
Six minutes into the second 45, Chelsea doubled their advantage through a thumping Antonio Rudiger header. The German met with Mason Mount’s inch-perfect corner-kick delivery and steered it past Thibaut Courtois to dissipate Madrid’s first-leg lead.
Fifteen minutes later, Real Madrid carved a chance of their own, with Karim Benzema getting to the end of a Ferland Mendy cross. The first-leg hero’s effort slammed against the crossbar and went behind for a goal-kick.
Tuchel’s side finally completed the turnaround in the 75th minute when Timo Werner squeezed his effort under Courtois’ outstretched arm. Reacting to the goal, Los Blancos coach Carlo Ancelotti introduced Rodrygo in place of Casemiro and Marcelo for Mendy. A couple of minutes later, Rodrygo pulled one back for the hosts to push the game into extra time with the aggregate scores leveled at 4-4.
Six minutes into added extra time, Benzema scored via a header to put Madrid ahead in the tie once again. The home side defended diligently for the next 25 odd minutes to see out the game and seal a 5-4 aggregate win.
It was not an encouraging performance for Real Madrid, but their tried-and-tested stalwarts came through for the umpteenth time to save their blushes.
Here are three players who came through for Los Blancos and two who did not.
Performed: Rodrygo
Brought on in the 78th minute in place of Casemiro, Rodrygo once again produced an excellent performance in the UEFA Champions League.
A couple of minutes after his introduction, the Brazilian scored Real Madrid’s opener of the night, dispatching an unstoppable volley to beat Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy from close range.
His pace and freshness came in handy in extra time as well, with the player pressing relentlessly and helping out at the back.
The clinical volley aside, Rodrygo won three duels, blocked two shots, and attempted two tackles.
Underperformed: Ferland Mendy
Ferland Mendy was arguably the worst player on the pitch for Real Madrid on Tuesday night. He was painfully unimaginative going forward, gave possession away cheaply, and profusely struggled to deal with Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
The game improved markedly after Ancelotti subbed him out for 33-year-old Marcelo late in the second half.
Against the Blues, Mendy made only one interception, lost six of nine duels, ceded possession eight times, and completed two of six dribbles.
Performed: Karim Benzema
Karim Benzema scored a stunning hat-trick in the first leg to inflict a painful 3-1 defeat upon the Blues. On Tuesday night, he scored the goal that knocked the reigning European champions out of the Champions League.
Truth be told, the Blues’ defenders did superbly to keep him quiet all night, rarely allowing the Frenchman the opportunity to shoot. Unfortunately, a clear-cut chance inevitably fell his way and the 34-year-old made no mistake turning it home in extra time.
Six minutes into extra time, Vinicius’ cross from the left found Benzema and the Frenchman headed it past Mendy with unfathomable ease.
In addition to the tie-winning goal, Benzema played three key passes, hit the woodwork once, and completed three of his four long balls.
Underperformed: Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior had a field day against Andreas Christensen in the first leg at Stamford Bridge. In the return fixture, Tuchel brought in Reece James in Christensen’s place and instructed him to keep a close eye on the Brazilian. The England international went above and beyond to ensure that, fighting Vinicius for every blade of grass.
The 21-year-old was quiet for most of the night, apart from a split-second in added extra time when the Blues’ defense went to sleep. He cleverly found Benzema inside the box, who headed home with ease. Unfortunately, even the assist could not redeem the Brazilian's below-par display on the night.
Against Chelsea, he didn’t have single shot, made only one key pass, lost 10 duels, yielded possession 21 times, and failed in four of his five dribbles.
It was a disappointing outing by Madrid’s second-leading scorer (17 goals) in all competitions this season.
Performed: Luka Modric
Easily Real Madrid's man of the match, Luka Modric, once again proved that for players like him, age is only a number. The 36-year-old was tireless from start to finish against much younger opponents. He charged forward, helped out at the back, circulated the ball and topped it off by providing the assist of the tie.
In the 80th minute, Modric received a pass from Marcelo down the left side of the midfield. In a split second, he dispatched an outside-the-boot pass from deep, which fell into the path of Rodrygo. The young Brazilian applied the finishing touch to make it 4-4 on aggregate.
The cleverness and vision he showed to attempt such an audacious pass speaks volumes about the quality of the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner.
The prize-worthy assist aside, the Croatian skipper made a key pass, completed 65 passes with 89 percent accuracy, and won seven duels.
He also attempted four tackles, blocked a shot, and intercepted the ball twice. A complete box-to-box display from the midfield maestro.
Also Read: Ranking Chelsea's 5 best players against Real Madrid | UEFA Champions League quarter-final 2nd leg
