"An incredible fight"- Chelsea star Antonio Rudiger pens emotional tweet after Champions League exit against Real Madrid
Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has taken to Twitter to share his reaction to his team's elimination from the UEFA Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid. While he stated that the elimination was "frustrating," he also expressed pride in the "team's mentality."
The Blues were knocked out of the competition at the quarter-final stage in the most extraordinary of circumstances. They trailed 3-1 from the first leg at Stamford Bridge last week before coming into the second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.
Mason Mount, Rudiger, and Timo Werner scored to make it 3-0 on the night, with the aggregate score being 4-3 in Chelsea's favor.
However, Rodrygo then scored from a stunning Luka Modric pass to level the aggregate scores. The match went into extra time, and Karim Benzema scored yet another goal to seal the tie.
After the match, Rudiger tweeted:
"... a frustrating #ucl knockout for us... but what an incredible fight over 120 minutes. So proud of the team's mentality #Hustle #AlwaysBelieve"
... but what an incredible fight over 120 minutes 
🏾 So proud of the team's mentality 
#Hustle #AlwaysBelieve
... a frustrating #ucl knockout for us 😔... but what an incredible fight over 120 minutes ✊🏾 So proud of the team's mentality 💙 #Hustle #AlwaysBelieve https://t.co/iKHB3pXhoa
The Blues will now have to focus their attention on the FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace on Sunday at Wembley Stadium. Los Blancos, meanwhile, will travel to face Sevilla in La Liga on Sunday.
Real Madrid's Champions League experience comes through yet again as they eliminate Chelsea
One could argue that Chelsea were the better team in both legs of the quarter-final tie. They had a combined 48 shots on goal over two legs compared to Real Madrid's 28.
However, the experience and resilience of the 13-time Champions League winners shone through yet again. They overturned a 2-0 deficit in the Round of 16 against Paris Saint-Germain in just one half. Benzema was the hero back then as well, scoring a hat-trick in the second half of the second leg.
With the tie being 4-3 against Chelsea and the Blues creating chances aplenty, it seemed like the end for Real Madrid. However, a moment of magic from Modric put them right back in.
Most Valuable Player. https://t.co/5RAEDj71nD
Christian Pulisic and Kai Havertz had three chances between them to score for the Blues but couldn't find the back of the net.
In extra time, Real Madrid latched on to a miscommunication between N'Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Eduardo Camavinga grabbed on to the ball and passed it to Vinicius Jr., who put in a cross for Benzema to win the game.
The 13-time champions have now reached the semi-finals of the competition for the 10th time in the last 12 seasons.