"Kind of defeats we can digest and swallow" - Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel delivers honest verdict after Champions League exit against Real Madrid
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel does not regret his side's exit from the UEFA Champions League at the hands of Real Madrid.
The Blues were in total control of the tie, leading 3-0 (4-3 on aggregate) until the 80th minute, when Rodrygo scored to ensure the game went into extra time.
Chelsea's hopes of retaining the Champions League were shattered when Los Blancos talisman Karim Benzema netted the winner just six minutes into extra time.
Despite exiting the competition, Tuchel was magnanimous in defeat and stated that he does not regret getting knocked out at the quarterfinal stage. However, the German tactician does believe that certain errors over both legs cost them the tie.
Speaking after their defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu, Tuchel was quoted as saying (via BBC Sport):
"These are the kind of defeats we can digest and swallow as we left nothing to regret out there. It was not meant to be. We were simply unlucky. We showed the quality and character this team has and deserved to go through. There is nothing to regret."
He added:
"We had a huge deficit to overcome because we did big mistakes in the first leg and today both goals come from mistakes from us. They took advantage of the mistakes with individual quality and that was enough because over the two legs we did too many of these big mistakes."
An outstanding effort to be proud of tonight in Madrid, but we exit the #UCL. https://t.co/UNA7NAZTkE
Real Madrid have now reached back-to-back semifinals in the Champions League. However, it is worth noting that they were knocked out of the competition last season by Chelsea themselves.
Los Blancos are now on course to secure a league and Champions League double. They are currently 12 points clear at the top of the La Liga charts, with seven games remaining in the season.
Real Madrid would face another English side or city rivals in the semifinals after defeating Chelsea
Following their aggregate win against Chelsea, Real Madrid will now face either Atletico Madrid or Manchester City in the semifinals of the Champions League.
As things stand, the Cityzens are leading the tie 1-0. They will travel to the Wanda Metropolitano for the second leg on Wednesday night.
Respect 👍
#UCL https://t.co/JZxa5Zrjxr
Meanwhile, in another quarterfinal fixture, La Liga side Villarreal caused a major upset by knocking out German giants Bayern Munich.
Unai Emery's side will now face either Benfica or Liverpool in the Champions League semifinals.