Real Madrid blew their comfortable lead over Chelsea in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, went down by a goal, forced extra time, but in the end managed to beat the Blues 5-4 on aggregate to advance to the semifinals. They'll now face the winner of Manchester City and Atletico Madrid for the right to go the final in Paris.
After a 3-1 first-leg win in London, Real Madrid lost the second leg at home in regulation by the same scoreline, which forced extra time. They were down 3-0 and needed substitute Rodrygo to deliver before Karim Benzema settled the tie in extra time with his fourth goal across the last two legs. With extra time, the second leg finished 3-2 in Chelsea's favor, but with Los Blancos winning the tie 5-4 on aggregate.
Carlo Ancelotti's team entered the second leg with a two-goal advantage in what seemed like a comfortable lead, but Mason Mount's goal 15 minutes in opened the door for a Chelsea rally that at times was clinical. Antonio Rudiger scored early in the second half and Timo Werner found the net with 15 minutes to go to complete the shocking turnaround as Real's defense struggled without the suspended Eder Militao.
But it was substitute Rodrygo who gave his team a lifeline with a fantastic volley, finishing what was an astounding assist from Luka Modric with 10 minutes to go. The Brazilian made a darting run into the box and one-touched Modric's ball perfectly into the bottom right of the goal. Then it was Vinicius Jr. who assisted Benzema's header goal in the 96th minute for what ended up being the deciding goal.
Here are three takeaways from the match:
As Werner's goal in the 75th minute found the back of the net, Real looked cooked. The expressions on the face of guys such as Dani Carvajal and recent substitute Marcelo were ones of exhaustion, disbelief and defeat. It felt like this one was over and that Chelsea would complete the comeback. But in just a 10-second span, the game was turned upside down.
David Alaba's crucial interception fell right to Marcelo, who quickly found Modric. The Croatian went on to do this:
I mean, come on. That is just extraordinary. And I try to careful with my adjectives. From this point forward, when I think of a perfect assist, that will be it. It's tricky ball to play to begin with, but to do it with the outside of the foot and with that precision? World class to the umpteenth power.
Nobody in the world is playing better than this guy. Seven goals in his last three UCL games, ripping apart both PSG and Chelsea with outstanding precision. And while the goals will get all of the reaction, he is so much more than just a goal-scoring machine. He ran for 120 minutes, he showed incredible toughness, he pressed high and did whatever he could to will his team to victory. When it was easy for them to roll over and cave, he was their reference point.
Benzema had a team-high three chances created, had just one shot on goal and finished it, recovered the ball three times and just had one of the iconic two-legged performances that you will see.
The Blues deserve major props because they went to Real and won, and they nearly won 3-0. Coming off a six-goal performance over Southampton last weekend, they had their scoring boots again to get back into the tie. But that once elite defense, the one that also conceded four to Brentford at the beginning of the month, did not deliver when it mattered most.
Marcos Alonso, responsible for Rodyrgo on that crucial goal, could not keep up with the speedster, and Thiago Silva, who was marking Benzema, did not shift over in time.
Then you go to the winner, where Chelsea's defenders were out of sync and that allowed Vinicius to just walk into the box after a turnover. Look at this positioning. Keep in mind, this wasn't when Chelsea had to score to pull level. The tie was already leveled.
The Brazilian then gets into the box, nobody properly marks Benzema, Rudiger slips, and it is game over. But major props to Rodrygo for his front-post run that opened up that pocket for Benzema.
In the end, Chelsea looked to have done enough in attack, but it was the defense that was their downfall. Real weren't overly sharp in this game, but they took everything Chelsea gave them, including a semifinal spot.
Wow. What an incredible 120 minutes. Real Madrid get by Chelsea in extra time, and they will face either Manchester City or Atletico Madrid in the semifinals. In the day's other game, Villarreal earned a shocking 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich to bounce the Bavarians and make it to the last four for the second time in their history.
Chelsea going for it all in these final minutes, but they look tired. Real trying to hold on. A frantic ending in Madrid.
15 minutes gone, 15 to go in extra time. Chelsea need a goal or else it will be Real Madrid who advance.
There he is! Vinicius with a fine assist into the heart of the box, and the Frenchman heads home into the left of the goal! Advantage Los Blancos!
30 minutes of action split in two 15-minute halves. If either team outscores the other in these 30 minutes, it's over. A tie would mean penalty kicks.
You try to come up with insightful, tactically revealing things to say about games but sometimes you have good football that you cannot defend against, something like that Modric pass and Rodrygo finish for instance. It's a cruel way for any team to be robbed of victory but it may just inspire Madrid to victory.
Regulation finishes Chelsea 3, Real Madrid 1. Extra time it is!
Rodrygo off the bench! A lovely ball from Modric falls perfectly into the path of the Brazilian, and he finishes with perfect precision! All squared!
Well, Chelsea are through if things stay this way. Real need one more goal to force extra time, but they have about 15 minutes to do so. Pressure is on as Marcelo and Rodrygo enter.
A quick reminder of the rules on handball and why, as much as Chelsea fans might wish it was the case, that goal had to be ruled out. The laws of the game do not take into account intent if the handball leads to a goal.
"For the purposes of determining handball offences, the upper boundary of the arm is in line with the bottom of the armpit. Not every touch of a player's hand/arm with the ball is an offence.
"It is an offence if a player... scores in the opponents' goal... immediately after the ball has touched their hand/arm, even if accidental."
There you have it!
Timo Werner! It's 3-0 to the Blues! A fine finish from the German with some incredible patience in the box!
Benzema connects on a Mendy cross, but the ball rocks off the crossbar! Nearly the moment Real need!
Marcos Alonso goes upper 90 with a fine shot inside the box off a Mendy turnover, but VAR is involved and checking on a handball by Alonso.
The check confirms the handball by Alonso and the goal is ruled out.
A fine ball in from Carvajal sees the ball fall to the Uruguayan in the box, and he blasts it with his first touch but sends it well over.
Madrid have really woken up since that second Chelsea goal, determining that now is the time to get up the pitch after what had been a curious start to the second half. Benzema has had his first real opening of the game whilst Modric is getting on the ball a bit more. A fizzing effort by Valverde is curling away from the far corner but is a reminder of what happens if the Chelsea midfield don't track runners.
The Blues score again! Rudiger on the corner heads home with precision to the far post! It's 2-0 to the Blues, and the match is level! Amazing from Tuchel's side!
Loose ball at the top of the box, and Reece James hits it well, but it is out for a corner.
Agreed, James. A confident first half for the Blues, but it seems unlikely that they can keep Real at bay as they have to get forward in search of the second goal. These first 15 minutes in the second half will be pivotal, and I'd expect Real to once again try to go down the wings like we saw in the first leg. You just have to wonder though ... how different would everything be had it not been for that shocking Mendy error in the first leg?
Having been outnumbered and unable to force the pace of the first leg, Chelsea's adjustments have really paid off so far. Mount has offered plenty as an auxiliary midfielder without the ball that means Madrid can't ping the ball around as they did before. Werner and Havertz are energetic at the top of the pitch and though there's been a bit of luck in the way Vinicius has wasted his chances in behind there can be no doubt that the Blues have earned their lead.
Chelsea 1, Real Madrid 0 (RM leads on aggregate, 3-2)
A strong first half from Chelsea, boosted by Mason Mount's goal in the 15th minute. A goal from Real could slam the door shut, while a 2-0 lead for the Blues would bring things level overall. A wild 45 minutes remain with extra time looking unlikely.
A long effort into the box from Reece James is headed by Rudiger, but the ball goes wide of the post and wasn't all that threatening.
We've reached the 30th minute, and there has been next to nothing in attack by Los Blancos. Possession is even, but Real's two shots have resulted in an xG of 0.06. The Blues are in a good spot right now, and one more goal will make this tie level.
