Carlo Ancelotti confirms injury blow to 2 Real Madrid superstars after UCL win against Chelsea
Manager Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that two Real Madrid players, Karim Benzema and David Alaba, suffered injuries during their recent Champions League win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The duo could miss the next few matches.
Rodrygo scored twice to help Real Madrid ease past Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg on Tuesday, April 18. The Spanish side won the tie 4-0 on aggregate.
However, it was not all good news for Los Blancos as Benzema and Alaba were substituted due to injuries. Ancelotti confirmed that the latter was taken off at half-time because of a hamstring issue, while Benzema had a foot issue after a stomp from Thiago Silva in the first half.
He was quoted by 90Min as saying:
"Alaba has had a problem, his hamstring was tight and we had made the change at the end of the first half. Karim had a blow, a stomp on his foot, it started to bother him at the end and we changed him."
They will now face Manchester City or Bayern Munich in the semi-finals.
Chelsea made it hard for Real Madrid, claims Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that Chelsea made things difficult for Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League quarterfinal. The Blues took control of the match in the first half but missed two glorious chances to level things up.
Speaking to the media after the match, Ancelotti claimed that he was delighted to have made it past his former side in the quarterfinals. He said:
"We are delighted to play in another semi-final and will keep striving to reach the final. Reaching a semi-final is always a success because it allows you to dream of winning another Champions League and playing another final.
"It was difficult, which is what we expected because our opponents go all out to get through. Chelsea did very well in the first half and caused us a few problems, but we put in a very well-rounded second half, raised our game and moved the ball around better and had more dynamism."
Manchester City have a 3-0 lead over Bayern Munich and the two sides will now face off in Germany on Wednesday, April 19, for a chance to meet Ancelotti's side in the last-four.