Thursday 26 / December / 2024
London: Chelsea bowed out of the UEFA Champions League after a 0-4 aggregate loss to Real Madrid following a 2-0 loss in the second leg of the quarterfinal against the defending champions at the home arena of Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
Frank Lampard's side needed to cut the earlier two-goal deficit from the first leg to get their chance at the silverware in what has been a season full of struggles so far. But a brace from Rodrygo continued the stormy season for the Blues.
Chelsea, having lost three successive games following Lampard's appointment as caretaker boss, started off with positive intent. But it was same old story for the side as they struggled to take their chances. Currently at 11th in Premier League and 17 points away from Champions League spots with seven games left, the Blues face a season outside of Europe's top competition.
Conor Gallagher was selected as the starting midfielder and Raheem Sterling was benched by the interim manager instead of filling his team with offensive weapons.
N'Golo Kante spurned two really good opportunities to score as he rushed his first-time shot and ended up hitting it well wide of the goal.
Chelsea continued to be a threat and fans were appreciative of it, but the visitors soon gained a strong-hold into the game. Rodrygo forced Kepa Arrizabalaga to make a save from near post. Luka Modric, the evergreen star also tested the Blues from that position.
Shortly before half-time, Vinicius Junior failed to connect with Modric's cross and Karim Benzema slashed a shot far too wide. Chelsea though looked closest to breaking the deadlock as the left-back Marc Cucurella tried to hit a close-range goal, but was saved by Thibaut Courtois.
Soon after the interval, Kante missed another opportunity after Militao blocked his effort.
In the build-up, Rodrygo was given a tonne of room on Chelsea's left flank, and the 22-year-old was then in the ideal spot at the ideal time to score from Vinicius' selfless cut-back. The scoreline went 1-0 in favour of Real Madrid in the 58th minute.
Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix, and Mykhailo Mudryk were added by Lampard, but it was already too late.
In the 80th minute, Rodrygo added another goal to his tally, taking his side home and into the semifinal.
Due to their opponent's involvement in the FA Cup, Chelsea's scheduled Premier League match against Manchester United this weekend has been postponed. As a result, their next game is not until Wednesday of the following week when they face Brentford.
Real Madrid, on the other hand, is likely to meet Manchester City in the Champions League semifinal, with Pep Guardiola's team taking a 3-0 lead into the second leg of their quarterfinal match against Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
