Chelsea have plenty of work to do if they are to keep their Champions League dreams alive when they face Real Madrid in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge next week. The Blues host Los Blancos in the capital, but do so at 2-0 down on aggregate after defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Karim Benzema's poaching instincts kicked in during the first half as he tapped home a rebound from a Kepa Arrizabalaga save to open the scoring. Injury to Kalidou Koulibaly forced a change after the break before Ben Chilwell was given his marching orders with a straight red card for a last-man challenge on Rodrygo.
The tie began to drift as substitute Marco Asensio then struck a shot from the edge of the box into the bottom corner to double the home side's lead. Substitute Mason Mount had the Blues' best chance of getting back into the game with a touch, turn and shot in the dying embers, but former teammate Antonio Rudiger made a huge block to keep a clean sheet.
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It gives Chelsea a huge task to overcome their deficit in the second leg, with some key players missing. The aftermath has seen plenty of reaction, some of which was directed at a pre-match prediction from co-owner Todd Boehly, who boldly claimed his team would win the game 3-0.
Supporters took to social media to have their say on the bold claim after the game ended in a 2-0 defeat.
@thejonnyross: "So much for Todd Boehly’s prediction."
@ZoryaLondonsk: "3-0 Real Madrid after Boehly’s prediction earlier would be peak 22/23 Chelsea."
@gyrusis: "Todd Boehly is a genius, one goal away from his 3-0 prediction."
@hobson9999: "How did todd boehly's 3-0 to Chelsea win prediction go?"
@CFC_NanaGee: "The players just had a picnic."
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