“Plays with a cigar in his mouth” – Real Madrid fans hail special player for injecting ‘life’ into Los Blancos’ veins during incredible win over Chelsea
Chelsea may have won the game, but Real Madrid won the Champions League quarter-final tie on aggregate, and Madridistas couldn't be more pleased with Eduardo Camavinga.
The star was brilliant against Chelsea, coming on in the 73rd minute and putting life into the game. The star took charge of the midfield, starting plays and driving Madrid forward. His best moment, however, was taking advantage of Chelsea's miscommunication, intercepting a pass and playing Vinicius Junior through for Karim Benzema's goal.
Madrid fans were elated about the star's overall performance, and they came on Twitter to lavish praise on the 19-year-old midfielder. Here is a selection of tweets:
Camavinga has injected life into Real Madrid's veins since he entered the game.
19 year-old Camavinga came on vs PSG & bullied their midfield and then came on vs Chelsea and bullied their midfield.
How does a 19 year old come on in a game where his team is being dominated with that amount of personality, confidence and courage to try and change the game. Eduardo Camavinga is special.
Camavinga has been unbelievable.
The strength and energy Camavinga brought in to the game is incredible.
Last tweet
Camavinga is special player. Plays with a cigar in his mouth. Unbothered by the occasion. Baller.
No matter what, this is the night Eduardo Camavinga took his first step towards his destiny of being the next great Madridista
Eduardo Camavinga rounded out his performance with a solid shot towards goal, having impressed in the first third by blocking a shot and clearing the ball out. He also picked up a yellow card while stopping a dangerous Chelsea attack, and Los Blancos fans couldn't have been prouder.
Real Madrid are now set to face either Atletico Madrid or Manchester City, with both clubs playing the second leg of their quarter-final tie this midweek. With Villareal kicking Bayern Munich out, the two Spanish teams will be prepping for the semifinals.
With the Blues out, Liverpool and Manchester City could potentially become the two English outfits in the semifinals. However, City will have to hold out Atletico, while the Reds need to finish off Benfica in the second leg.
Real Madrid kick Chelsea out with Karim Benzema header
The Blues took the first half in brilliant stride, stunning the hosts and the home crowd at the Santiago Bernabeu. An early goal from Mason Mount guided the visitors to force the Madridistas into defense, and for the better part of the first half, Madrid struggled to find strong footing.
The second half continued with a vibrance for the Blues as Antonio Rudiger powered in a header a few minutes after the restart. Marcos Alonso's goal should have put the game in the Blues' favor, but it was canceled after a VAR check. Yet, that hardly stopped the visitors from scoring their third goal via Timo Werner.
Five minutes later, Rodrygo latched onto an absolutely sublime pass from Luka Modric, powering it past Edouard Mendy to put Real Madrid back in the game. The game went into extra time and unmarked Karim Benzema was on hand to put the hosts ahead on aggregate.