“Showed no respect to Reece James” – Rio Ferdinand singles out Real Madrid star for special praise after 2-0 win against Chelsea
Manchester United icon Rio Ferdinand showered praise on Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Junior after he gave Chelsea right-back Reece James a torrid night in the UEFA Champions League.
Los Blancos sailed to a 2-0 win in the first leg of the quarterfinal tie at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday (April 12). Vinicius put in a brilliant performance and ran James ragged on the left flank.
Ferdinand was impressed by Vinicius' performance and touched on the problems he gave James throughout the game, telling BT Sport:
"Vinicius Junior showed no respect to Reece James tonight. Whenever Vini had the ball, he went straight at James. He will do the same at Stamford Bridge. He and Rodrygo play wide and high."
Karim Benzema opened the scoring in the 21st minute, thanks to Vinicius' persistence. Chelsea were reduced to ten men in the 59th minute when Ben Chilwell pulled Rodrygo down as Real Madrid broke on the counter. The English defender denied a clear goalscoring opportunity and was rightfully given his marching orders.
Vinicius was in the thick of things once again when Marco Asensio added a second in the 74th minute. The Brazilian squared the ball to Asensio on the edge of the box. The Spaniard smashed home a superb effort to wrap up a convincing win for Real Madrid.
James has been heralded throughout the season for his consistent performances for Chelsea. Many argue that the Englishman is one of the best right-backs in Europe, but he had a night to forget in dealing with Vinicius.
The Blues full-back won just three of 10 ground duels and was dribbled past on three occasions. Meanwhile, the Madrid attacker had two shots on target and completed four successful dribble attempts out of six.
The Blues full-back has acknowledged how much of a threat Vinicius is, as he deemed the Brazilian as one of his toughest opponents. He tweeted:
"3 hardest players I’ve ever played against are all left wingers! Vinicius Jr, Leao and Mane!"
Joe Cole thinks Chelsea can turn tie around against Real Madrid
Chelsea legend Joe Cole hasn't given up hope on his former side sealing a comeback in their quarterfinal with Real Madrid. The two sides clash in the second leg at Stamford Bridge on April 18. Cole told BT Sport:
"It's not over. It was a hard night, and the moments went to Real, but they're the champions and an outstanding team."
Chelsea's season went from bad to worse with their defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu. However, the Blues headed into the game as underdogs amid their poor season.
They did show signs of promise during their loss at the Bernabeu, as the likes of Joao Felix and Raheem Sterling threatened occasionally. However, it was a case of the same old story, as the west Londoners lacked a cutting edge up front and were made to pay for that.
The Blues now have their task cut out to turn around the tie on home turf against the holders. However, they have proven that they can dispatch Madrid in the past as they beat Los Blancos 2-0 (3-1 aggregate) at Stamford Bridge in 2021. They then went on to win their second Champions League trophy.