David Hytner was at the Bernabeu this evening. Here’s his report on an instant classic. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
Thomas Tuchel gives his verdict to BT Sport. “These are the kind of defeats we can digest and swallow, because we left nothing to regret out there. We played what we wanted to play and showed the quality and character the team has. We deserved to go through, but it was not meant to be, we were simply unlucky. The full credit is for the players. I’m very disappointed for the referee that he did not check [the disallowed Alonso goal] ... but that’s what you get when you play Real Madrid in the Champions League. We had a huge deficit to overcome. Unfortunately both of their goals today came from mistakes in the build-up. They took advantage of the mistakes with individual quality and over the two legs, we did too many of these big mistakes.”
Antonio Rudiger - who angrily shoved away David Alaba’s consoling arm after the final whistle - is now more reflective as he talks to BT. “The positive is we didn’t give up. Not many teams can come here and dominate them like we did. But over the two legs, if you make the type of mistakes we do, you get punished. It was do or die for us. Before the game, not everybody thought we could lead 3-0. But then their individual class came to light, and now we are here.”
Luka Modric talks to BT. “It is unbelievable. We were dead until the goal we scored. Chelsea scored three good goals. I cannot say we played a bid game, they used their chances well. We didn’t give up and our fans kept supporting us. That gave us a boost to believe that we could turn it around. In this competition, experience helps, but for me Chelsea are the most difficult to play against. Tough, physical and compact. But we showed great character and desire. It is a defeat that feels very sweet!”
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Some proper celebrations by the home team at the Bernabeu. And why not? Real are putting together quite the run. As if their second-half comeback against Paris Saint-Germain wasn’t sensational enough, now they’ve dug in and found something from somewhere to overcome the reigning champions. Number 14 is still on! Chelsea to a man look aghast, eyes glazed, heads bowed, hands on hips. It won’t help them now, but in time they’ll look back with pride on a brave and brilliant defence of their trophy. And they’ll always have Porto.
Chelsea crumble to the floor as one. They were nothing short of magnificent tonight, giving Real Madrid a proper rattle, and outplaying them for most of the evening. They were ten minutes away from a semi-final against either Manchester City or Atletico Madrid, but Luka Modric waved his wand, Rodrygo slotted an equaliser, and Karim Benzema nicked it in extra time. So, despite Chelsea’s brave efforts to overcome the damage inflicted at Stamford Bridge, the tie was decided by the head of Benzema after all.
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EXTRA TIME, FULL TIME: Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (agg: 5-4)
Chelsea’s reign as champions of Europe is over. They were ten minutes away from the semis, but Real have made it.
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ET 120 min +2: Saul floats a ball into the arms of Courtois. The catch is greeted with a huge roar. The home fans enjoyed that, not least because the witless cross was made by a player on loan from Atletico.
ET 120 min +1: Ceballos is clipped in the centre circle, and that eats up more time.
ET 120 min: There’s a brief brouhaha with Silva and Carvajal in the middle of it, but it all calms down quickly enough. There will be three additional minutes. Three minutes for Chelsea to save themselves.
ET 119 min: Havertz wins a corner down the right. Mendy comes up to contest it! Ziyech’s low drive from the edge of the box ricochets this way and that. The ball pinballs around and falls to Jorginho, who squirts a panicked shot wide right from 12 yards! Chelsea have had their chances to equalise all right!
ET 118 min: Carvajal is booked for a clip on Ziyech.
ET 117 min: Another huge chance for Pulisic, who missed a couple in the dying moments of regular time. James whips a cross in from the right. Pulisic meets it with a header, six yards out, but flashes it wide right.
ET 116 min: Alonso battles his way down the left and wins a corner. He takes it himself. Benzema heads half-clear. Chelsea return the ball into the mixer. It pinballs about, then falls to Jorginho on the penalty spot. Ceballos throws himself in the line of fire to block. What bravery!
ET 115 min: Vinicius Junior is replaced by Dani Ceballos.
ET 114 min: Ziyech has a crack from a tight angle on the left. Courtois is up to it and parries.
ET 113 min: Tuchel and Azpilicueta are both booked for reacting when Real are awarded a throw that should have been Chelsea’s. Azpilicueta also gave the nearby Vazquez a little shove for good measure. Chelsea are beginning to run hot.
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ET 112 min: Jorginho tries to find Pulisic down the right, but overhits the diagonal pass. Goal kick, and it’s another opportunity for Courtois to run the clock down by taking his time over it.
ET 110 min: It’s Courtois versus Havertz again! It looks like Havertz is going to close him down, but at the very last minute Courtois performs an elegant Cruyff Turn to send the Chelsea striker sliding off the pitch. Ice in the veins!
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ET 109 min: Havertz, who has been on a rolling boil for a while now, is booked for clattering into Alaba. While he’s receiving his paperwork, he squares up to Marcelo, which doesn’t seem that smart. The referee tells him to simmer down. He really needs to.
ET 107 min: Courtois takes his sweet time over a clearance, and is nearly hunted down by Havertz. He hoicks clear just in time.
ET 106 min: Saul’s first act is to clatter into Carvajal. That allows the Real defender to roll around a bit in the clock-management style. Incidentally, Chelsea have also swapped in Jorginho for Mateo Kovacic.
Chelsea get the second period of extra time underway. They’ve made another change, replacing Ruben Loftus-Cheek with Saul Niguez.
EXTRA TIME, HALF TIME: Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (agg: 5-4)
The reigning European champions have 15 minutes to save themselves. Thomas Tuchel gets them around a whiteboard, and gives them the tactical what-for.
ET 105 min: The basketball rhythm continues, as Chelsea go up the other end and win a corner. Havertz wins another header. Once again he doesn’t catch it properly. Real clear.
ET 104 min: Camavinga launches a speculative effort miles over the bar, Benzema having stolen the ball in midfield to launch a counter.
ET 103 min: Ziyech is booked for a cynical block on Vazquez, who was haring down the right.
ET 102 min: A Chelsea cross from the right. Ziyech tries to swipe it home with his first touch of the ball. His effort is deflected out for a corner, from which Havertz heads weakly straight at Courtois.
ET 101 min: For the first time this evening, Real look fairly composed and are seeing more of the ball. A big extra-time goal tends to lead to that sort of thing. “Kepa must be seriously excited right now at the prospect of a potential penalty shoot-out,” quips Yash Gupta, because somebody had to.
ET 99 min: Chelsea make their second change of the evening. Hakim Ziyech, who scored for Ajax when the Dutch side won here 4-1 in 2019, replaces N’Golo Kante.
ET 98 min: It probably doesn’t need saying, but that’s got the Bernabeu jumping.
GOAL! Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (Benzema 96); agg 5-4
Chelsea give the ball away 30 yards from their own goal. That allows Camavinga to send Vinicius skittering clear down the left. He reaches the byline and pulls one back for Benzema, who rushes in and steers a header into the bottom left! Rudiger had slipped, giving Benzema all the space in which to do his work. Real lead!
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ET 95 min: Havertz and Vazquez square up. There’s no real need for it, which is what the referee comes across to tell them.
ET 94 min: James is allowed a preposterous amount of time to scope out a shot. He flays a wild one over the bar from the edge of the box.
ET 92 min: Vazquez makes ground down the right and stands one up for Benzema, who gets a head to the ball, but can’t guide anything goalwards. A week is a long time in football.
Real get the first half of extra time underway. This is football!
FULL TIME: Real Madrid 1-3 Chelsea (agg: 4-4)
Extra time ... and possibly penalties ... here we come!
90 min +4: Pulisic comes close again! The free kick from the left is hit long. Havertz heads back across goal. Pulisic leans back and hoicks over from six yards!
90 min +3: Kovacic is bundled over by Valverde out on the right. Another chance to send a free kick into the Real box.
90 min +2: From the resulting free kick, Rudiger heads on, and Pulisic hooks over his own shoulder and inches over the bar!
90 min +1: Carvajal dozes off in the centre circle, shipping possession to Pulisic, who has the chance of releasing Havertz through on goal. Camavinga takes one for the team by bringing Pulisic down before he can make the killer pass.
90 min: Modric nullifies the threat from the corner, buying a cheap free kick under physical pressure from Mount and Rudiger. There will be four added minutes. Can somebody find a dramatic winner that would send their team into the semis?
89 min: Chelsea push Real back. Pass and probe. Alonso then wins a corner on the left and takes it himself. He looks long for Rudiger. Real should clear, but Vinicius clumsily passes the ball out for a corner on the right.
88 min: Nacho is replaced by Lucas Vazquez.
86 min: Pulisic and Mount combine down the left. Mount strides into the box and has a dig. He smashes the ball straight at Camavinga. Blocked and cleared. Extra time looms, but neither team is willing to sit back and settle for it.
84 min: Modric slides a pass down the left for Vinicius, who drops a shoulder and nearly gets past James. There’s a bit of contact as he goes past. Vinicius stays honest, on his feet, but can’t get a shot away. Had he opted to go down, the referee would have had a decision to make.
83 min: Chelsea make their first change of the evening. Pulisic comes on for Werner.
82 min: For the first time this evening, the wind is behind Real Madrid. Modric is afforded too much space, 20 yards out. He whistles a low drive towards the bottom right. Mendy is behind it all the way. Chelsea go up the other end, Werner feeding Mount down the right, Mount spinning and lashing a shot across goal and out for a goal kick. This is breathless!
GOAL! Real Madrid 1-3 Chelsea (Rodrygo 80); agg 4-4
... and now Real haul themselves back in it! Kante over-elaborates down the Chelsea right. Marcelo intercepts. The ball is worked down the Real left for Modric, who loops a sensational outside-of-the-boot pass towards Rodrygo, who opens his body 12 yards from goal and sends a glorious sidefoot into the bottom right! Mendy no chance!
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78 min: Rudiger nearly does it again! From the corner on the left, he plants a header towards the bottom right. It’s flying in, but Courtois gets across to scoop away. Vinicius launches a counter down the left, but he’s penalised for tugging away at Mount’s shirt. Rudiger so close to sealing the tie right there!
77 min: The Bernabeu, the away corner apart, falls silent. This scoreline doesn’t flatter Chelsea one bit. They win another corner down the left. Before it can be taken, Marcelo and Rodrygo are replaced by Marcelo and Rodrygo.
GOAL! Real Madrid 0-3 Chelsea (Werner 75); agg 3-4
Chelsea lead now all right! He’s slipped into the box down the left by Kovacic. He sits Casemiro down while checking back. Then he takes a further touch backwards to get past Alaba ... then lashes goalwards, the ball taking a deflection that sends it bouncing into the unguarded bottom-right corner!
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74 min: The first change of the evening. Carlo Ancelotti is the first manager to blink, as Toni Kroos is replaced by Eduardo Camavinga.
72 min: Werner releases some of that tension by cutting in from the left and blootering a poor cross deep into the stand behind the goal.
71 min: Chelsea stroke it about. The Real fans whistle and screech. The tension here is palpable.
70 min: Mount is brought down in flight on the right. Free kick. James swings it in. Valverde clears with a towering header.
68 min: Kroos is this close to releasing Vinicius down the middle. Rudiger arrives out of nowhere and toe-pokes away from the Real striker. Chelsea counter, and Valverde is booked for a late slide on Kovacic. It is, to borrow a phrase from Danny Boon, all happening.
67 min: The Bernabeu is bouncing now. An aural cauldron.
65 min: This is one hell of a game now! Real go straight up the other end, Benzema meeting Mendy’s left-wing cross and pinging a header off the top of the crossbar! Good luck calling this match, which has settled into a basketball rhythm now.
NO GOAL! Real Madrid 0-2 Chelsea (agg: 3-3)
64 min: Nope! After a lengthy VAR check, it’s determined that the ball brushed Alonso’s hand after deflecting off Carvajal. The correct decision. The law’s the law, though Alonso will consider himself pretty unlucky there, the unintentional light brush having played no decisive part in the goal.
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GOAL! Real Madrid 0-3 Chelsea (Alonso 62); agg 3-4
Vinicius is stripped of possession by Mount and Havertz. Kante shuttles the ball down the inside-left channel for Alonso, who cuts into the box. He takes a touch. The ball deflects off the sliding Carvajal and sits up ... and Alonso lashes across Courtois and into the top right! Chelsea lead!
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61 min: Real are beginning to play for the first time this evening. Benzema cuts back from the byline near the right-hand corner flag. Valverde meets the ball on the edge of the box, sending a screamer not too far away from the top-left corner. That would have been one hell of a goal. But then, up the other end ...
59 min: Kroos and Benzema combine well down the left, before sliding Mendy into acres on the wing. Mendy fizzes a ball through the Chelsea six-yard box. It’s begging to be poked home, but neither Benzema nor Vinicius are on the front foot. That’s finally got the home crowd going, after the body blow of Chelsea’s second.
57 min: Havertz skitters down the left, turning Alaba inside out, only to lash an ambitious shot into the side netting with Werner free in the middle.
56 min: Casemiro is brought down by Kante, 25 yards from the Chelsea goal. Kroos sends the free kick towards the top left. Mendy saves spectacularly. A save he should be making in the no-nonsense style, but you’ve got to have a few photos for the scrapbook, haven’t you.
54 min: A deep cross from the right finds Benzema on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. He shapes to shoot, but just as he’s pulling the trigger, James nips in to flick the ball away. Another huge intervention from James!
53 min: Well, well, well! A reminder that away goals come with no premium these days ... so we’re all square! Real aren’t happy, though, because they’re convinced the James shot that led to the corner from which Rudiger’s goal came wasn’t deflected off a Real boot at all. Replays seem to show the ball didn’t flick off Modric, but here we are.
GOAL! Real Madrid 0-2 Chelsea (Rudiger 51); agg 3-3
Mount swings another one in. Rudiger gets up highest, and plants an unstoppable downward header into the bottom right! Courtois had no chance!
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50 min: Loftus-Cheek does the hard yards down the right and wins a corner. Mount takes it. Real make a meal of clearing the ball. James sends a speculative shot through a crowded box. He’s not far away from finding the bottom-right corner, but the ball deflects out for another corner. From which ...
49 min: Anyway, Real would have been looking for a statement fast start to the second half. They haven’t made one. Chelsea have basically picked up where they left off.
47 min: Mount springs the Real offside trap down the right. He tees up Werner, whose shot from the edge of the box is blocked. Courtois stretches to stop the ball going out for a corner, scooping it back into the box. Havertz nearly gets to it before Courtois can spring back up and smother. A foul on the keeper, according to the referee, though Casemiro was leaning into Havertz too. You know what, you’ve seen them given.
46 min: It’s almost a flying start to the second half by Chelsea, as Havertz strides down the right and slips in Loftus-Cheek on the overlap. Loftus-Cheek’s low cross is hacked clear with Werner lurking.
Chelsea get the second half underway. No changes.
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HALF TIME: Real Madrid 0-1 Chelsea (agg: 3-2)
Chelsea have been much the better side and fully deserve their lead on the night. They’re not letting go of their trophy without one hell of a battle. Plenty of work for Carlo Ancelotti to do during the break.
45 min: James floats the free kick into the Real box, where Rudiger wafts a header harmlessly wide. There will be one additional first-half minute.
44 min: Kross bundles over an in-flight Werner, 35 yards out in a central position. Free kick for Chelsea, and the hosts really could do with hearing that half-time whistle.
43 min: Loftus-Cheek is good to continue. “How does someone who was mediocre at best on loan at Fulham seemingly play well in a Champions League quarter final?” wonders Richard Hirst of the same man.
41 min: Loftus-Cheek barrels down the right and loses a 50-50 fight with Vinicius. He crashes to the floor. A livid Tuchel wants a free kick, but it’s not forthcoming. The game’s stopped, though, as Loftus-Cheek doesn’t get up. He might have winded himself when hitting the turf at pace.
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40 min: Vinicius has the ball at his feet on the edge of the Chelsea D. There’s briefly an opportunity to shoot, but with Kroos and Benzema both screaming for the ball, he’s caught in three minds. Chelsea clear their lines.
38 min: Havertz slides in on Nacho, and is fortunate to escape a yellow card, having clipped his opponent’s heel from behind. The home fans aren’t happy with that, either.
37 min: The local mood isn’t helped when Benzema is booked for catching Silva in the face as the pair contest a high ball.
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36 min: This is all Chelsea. They’ve been wonderful so far, pressing Real hard, keeping them penned in their final third. The hosts are struggling to retain any sort of possession.
34 min: Rudiger decides to take a punt from 30 yards. He sends a fierce shot sailing well wide of the right-hand post. Courtois had it covered.
32 min: ... so having said that, Real enjoy their first spell of possession up the field for a good while. Modric suddenly instigates a one-two with Benzema on the edge of the box ... but as he shapes to meet the return pass with a shot, Casemiro gets in the way and has a go himself. Over the bar it goes. Modric is not best pleased.
30 min: Real are struggling to get out of their own half. They’re finding the Chelsea press extremely troublesome. The visitors are controlling this.
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28 min: Kovacic latches onto a loose ball, 30 yards from the Real goal, and has a dig. The ball disappears high into the stand. Chelsea look the most likely to get the next goal right now.
26 min: Mount and Loftus-Cheek combine well down the right, a cross causing a mild kerfuffle in the middle before being cleared. The Bernabeu is a little anxious. Chelsea have done a good job of getting the Real crowd to pipe down.
24 min: Vinicius nearly skins James down the left. James stands firm to block. The ball breaks to Benzema, who sends a vicious shot goalwards. Silva deflects the shot over the bar - just! - and nothing comes of the corner, despite Mendy’s unconvincing flap.
22 min: Loftus-Cheek has a dig from 25 yards. He slams his shot straight at Casemiro. Up the other end, Mendy in the Chelsea goal hasn’t had much to do.
21 min: Both sets of fans are giving it plenty right now. No surprise there, with everything so finely balanced. In years past, Chelsea would still need two more goals, or they’d be going out. But there’s no premium on away goals any more, and they just need one now to level it up. They fancy themselves to get it, as well, Werner nearly getting clear down the left, stopped from shooting by Carvajal’s sliding block.
19 min: Vinicius drives down the left and glides infield. He attempts to release Benzema with a clever prod down the channel, but wily old Thiago Silva reads the danger and intercepts.
17 min: Real look like responding in short order, James giving the ball away and allowing Vinicius to scamper down the left at pace. He makes it into the box and should have a crack, because there’s nobody else up with him. But he doesn’t fancy the tight angle, and crosses to nobody in particular.
GOAL! Real Madrid 0-1 Chelsea (Mount 15); agg 3-2
Chelsea ping it around patiently. Pass, pass, pass. The crowd get a bit agitated. Then, all of a sudden, a ball’s fizzed down the inside-left channel by Kovacic. It’s helped on by Loftus-Cheek and Werner, a one-touch zig-zag, and suddenly Mount is tearing into the box down the middle! He opens his body and sends a confident - and powerful - sidefoot past Courtois and into the right-hand portion of the goal!
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13 min: Valverde ships possession 30 yards from his own goal, swarmed by yellow shirts. Werner and Havertz combine down the inside-left channel, the ball bobbling around in the box before clanking out for a corner. Rudiger meets the set piece, sending a header sailing clear over the bar. Much better from Chelsea.
11 min: Vinicius suddenly turns on the jets to scoot down the inside-left channel. He’s caught James flat footed, and the Chelsea man is forced to drag him back before the striker can break into the box. A booking for James. Benzema takes the free kick, just to the left of the D. Over the bar it flies, troubling Mendy not a jot.
9 min: The Bernabeu is bouncing, by the way, even though a good number of the seats are currently out of action due to construction work. No wonder, because Real are beginning to dominate.
7 min: Vinicuis is sent scampering clear down the left touchline, the recipient of Benzema’s outrageous backheel. His low cross finds nobody, but that’s the first sign of the sort of interplay that caused Chelsea so much trouble last week.
6 min: Modric swans around in the centre circle like he owns the place, which the little genius kind of does. He flicks a cute pass down the inside-right channel in the hope of releasing Vinicius Junior, but Mendy reads the danger, coming out of his box to sweep up. Good play all round.
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4 min: A long speculative pass down the Real right nearly exposes Chelsea. Valverde hares after it, but Kovacic gets across to intercept and snuff out the danger. Just as well, there was nobody else in yellow anywhere near, and on the bench, Thomas Tuchel reacts accordingly, by leaping about and yelling. He’s got the proper funk on!
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3 min: A little Chelsea possession in the middle of the park. A lot of whistling from the home fans, who don’t like it one bit.
2 min: Courtois launches long ... straight to Mendy in the other goal. It’s all a bit frantic.
Real get the ball rolling, and pump it forward quickly. Goal kick for Chelsea, but the hosts have made a statement early doors. They want this tie settled!
The teams are out! Real Madrid wear their famous meringue white, while the reigning champions of Europe sport their 80s throwback yellow away kit. We’ll be off after a quick blast of Zadok the Priest (Version).
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A reminder that Chelsea aren’t the only team hoping to stage a comeback tonight. Bayern Munich are a goal down against Villarreal. Barry Glendenning will be all over that one.
Thomas Tuchel talks to BT Sport. “Everybody wants an early goal in every little match! But even if the first goal tonight is for Real Madrid, we will not stop, we will try. Of course we will try to get a lead to maybe get into their minds and cause some doubts, but if it is the other way round we will keep on trying. We have to take some risks and take advantage of better counter-pressing. Timo Werner is a part of it. At Southampton he hit three times the post, and scored two goals and some assists, so hopefully he can keep the momentum and continue.”
Plenty of the old pre-match reading for you. Firstly from the Chelsea perspective ...
... then from la perspectiva del Real Madrid.
Real Madrid make just one change to the team named at Stamford Bridge last week. Éder Militão is suspended, so in comes Nacho.
Chelsea have mixed it up, making four changes to the starting XI selected last Wednesday. Christian Pulišić, Andreas Christensen, Jorginho and captain César Azpilicueta drop to the bench, to be replaced by Marcos Alonso, Mateo Kovačić, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Timo Werner. N’Golo Kanté will deputise for Azpilicueta and pull on the captain’s armband.
The teams
Real Madrid: Courtois, Carvajal, Nacho, Alaba, Mendy, Modric, Casemiro, Kroos, Valverde, Benzema, Vinicius Junior.
Subs: Asensio, Marcelo, Lunin, Jovic, Lucas, Bale, Ceballos, Rodrygo, Mariano, Camavinga, Fuidias, Marin.
Chelsea: Mendy, James, Thiago Silva, Rudiger, Alonso, Kovacic, Loftus-Cheek, Kante, Mount, Havertz, Werner.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Christensen, Jorginho, Pulisic, Bettinelli, Chalobah, Saul, Ziyech, Azpilicueta, Sarr, Vale.
Referee: Szymon Marciniak (Poland).
Preamble
If history tells us anything, it’s that Chelsea’s defence of their Champions League title will end tonight. That’s because Real Madrid beat them 3-1 at Stamford Bridge last week, and when Real win away in Europe, they go through 94.4 percent of the time. That’s 34 times in 36 ties. It’s fair to say that Chelsea are statistically up against it.
However, one man in Chelsea’s ranks was responsible for one of the two times Real didn’t make it through. In 2019, Hakim Ziyech scored the first goal in Ajax’s remarkable 4-1 win at the Bernabeu, knocking holders Real out of the competition they’d won for three years in a row, despite having lost the first leg 2-1 in Amsterdam. So he knows it can be done. Chelsea will also be buoyed by memories of last season, when they knocked Real Madrid out in the semis. Real remain hot favourites to go through, of course ... but nothing’s signed and sealed yet. Kick off at the Bernabeu is at 8pm BST, 9pm in Madrid. It’s on!
