Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea (AET): 5 hits and flops as the holders bow out despite narrow win | UEFA Champions League 2021-22
Reigning winners Chelsea beat Real Madrid 3-2 in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie at the Santiago Bernabeu on 12 April. Despite the victory, the Blues bowed out of the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League, losing the tie on aggregate.
Karim Benzema, who scored a sensational hat-trick in the first leg last week, made the difference yet again as his goal in extra time sent Los Blancos through 5-4 on aggregate.
Thomas Tuchel and Chelsea will rue their luck after a terrific display saw them hold a 3-0 lead with just ten minutes of normal time left on the clock. Mason Mount struck in the first-half before Antonio Rudiger and Timo Werner scored after the interval to put the Blues on the cusp of a famous result.
#UCL
38 official games this season.
38 goals, 12 scored in UCL.
Karim Benzema. ⭐️🇫🇷 #UCL https://t.co/GbVzekdavU
Real Madrid hit back late after being outplayed for most of the game
However, a peach of a strike from Rodrygo from Luka Modric's sublime outside-of-the-foot assist in the 80th minute brought Los Blancos level on aggregate,sending the game into extra time. Despite Karim Benzema's headed goal in the 96th minute, Chelsea continued to dominate proceedings in the additional 30 minutes and were guilty of missing numerous gilt-edged chances.
The Blues ended the game with 57% possession and 28 attempts while Carlo Ancelotti's side had just ten. While Tuchel and Chelsea will feel they are a tad unlucky, the London-based club only have their own wastefulness to blame.
On that note, here are five hits and flops from a thrilling game at the Bernabeu.
#5 Hit: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Truth be told, the Blues did a terrific job of keeping Karim Benzema quiet for most of the night. The Frenchman, though, is in the form of his life and will not be denied. After hitting the bar in the second half, the striker made no mistake in extra time as he nodded in Vinicius Junior's cross for his fourth goal of the tie.
You can HEAR this photo.
🔊You can HEAR this photo.
#UCL https://t.co/VkiIRoGCch
Karim Benzema has now scored 38 goals this season, of which 12 have come in the UEFA Champions League. He lasted the entire 120 minutes against the Blues on Tuesday night and was incessant with his pressing.
#4 Flop: Toni Kroos (Real Madrid)
Real Madrid were outplayed in the middle of the park for the majority of their second leg game against the Blues. Mateo Kovacic, N'Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek were younger, faster and fitter than Los Blancos' famous midfield trio and it wasn't a surprise to see Tuchel's side dominate possession.
While Luka Modric provided a glorious assist for Rodrygo's goal, Casemiro and Toni Kroos endured a torrid time. Casemiro did put in a shift at the defensive end, but the German star was hounded by Chelsea's midfield and wilted under constant pressure.
Kroos was substituted in the second-half and cut a frustrated figure as he trudged off the pitch.
#3 Hit: Mason Mount (Chelsea)
Despite his team's elimination from this year's Champions League, Mason Mount could be proud of his display against the Spanish giants. The Chelsea midfielder started the game in the No. 10 role, right behind Kai Havertz and Timo Werner up front.
The Englishman scored an early opener on the night, beating Thibaut Courtois with an excellent finish into the corner of the net in the 15th minute. Mount's driving run and powerful low shot set the tone for the rest of the game. He then provided an assist for Antonio Rudiger's header in the second half, swinging in a perfect delivery from a corner-kick.
Mount played the entire game, including extra time, and led Chelsea's fight till the very end.
#2 Flop: Christian Pulisic (Chelsea)
Arguably the biggest influence on the result was the vastly contrasting performances from the two teams' substitutes. While Eduardo Camavinga, Rodrygo and Marcelo all did well for Real Madrid, Hakim Ziyech, Saul and Christian Pulisic were dreadful for Chelsea.
Had a chance to process the result and my main takeaway was that substitutions were the key. Personally, Pulisic for Werner felt like a bad choice at the time - why take off a player who is causing problems? Ancelotti’s change - Camavinga for Kroos - was a game changer. #RMACHE
The American star was particularly poor after coming on and missed two good chances to put the game to bed towards the end of normal time. Pulisic was then completely anonymous in extra time and failed to get on the ball. This comes after his terrible display in the first-leg, where he started the game and failed to make a meaningful contribution.
#1 Hit: Timo Werner (Chelsea)
This was, in all likelihood, Timo Werner's best game in a Chelsea jersey. Brimming with confidence after netting twice in the Blues' 6-0 thrashing of Southampton in the Premier League last weekend, the German forward turned in another excellent showing.
He began by providing an unintentional assist for Mason Mount's opener, although the fact that Werner was in the right place at the right time must be applauded. His contribution on the defensive end was a pleasant surprise, as Werner worked hard tracking back on the left flank.
vs Real Madrid
Timo Werner’s last two games for Chelsea:
⚽️⚽️ vs Southampton
⚽️🅰️ vs Real Madrid
Is the tide turning for TW11? 😏 https://t.co/poegc1rb47
Werner pulled off two excellent tackles on Vinicius Junior and Luka Modric inside Chelsea's box and also helped Marcos Alonso deal with the threat of Fede Valverde.
The former RB Leipzig man then scored an excellent individual goal in the 75th minute to put Chelsea 3-0 up. He showed enormous composure and patience to glide past a couple of lunging challenges before scuffing a shot into the back of the net via a deflection.
Thomas Tuchel's decision to replace Werner with Pulisic towards the end of normal time came back to haunt the Blues, as the USMNT star failed to get going.