Todd Boehly, the Chelsea co-owner, was approached by a news crew as he left his hotel in Madrid before the first leg of his side’s Champions League quarter final against Real Madrid and asked if he had a message for the club’s fans. ‘Have a lot of faith and we’re going to win 3-0 tonight,’ he said. He said twice that it would be 3-0, as if he had really put some thought into it.
If the Chelsea fans had any faith left, it was not rewarded. Boehly was as close to getting his prediction right as he has been to getting anything right since he took over at Stamford Bridge last May and oversaw an unfolding football implosion. So that is to say, not very close at all.
To no one’s great surprise, Chelsea did not win in the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu. In fact, if there were any surprise at all, it was that they only lost 2-0 to Carlo Ancelotti’s team. It should have been more. It probably would have been had Ben Chilwell not sacrificed himself and got a red card for pulling back Rodrygo after an hour when he was clean through.
It did not disguise the gulf in class between the two teams. Madrid were smooth and slick and expressive and confident. Chelsea were not. Not for the first time, it was hard to look at Chelsea in wonder at how little you get for £600m these days.
Madrid will be disappointed that they only had goals from Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio to show for their dominance, particularly with Chelsea reduced to 10 men for so long. But it is stretching belief to think that a side newly marshalled by Frank Lampard but still looking desperately short of goals could score three in the return at Stamford Bridge next week.
Chelsea were swept aside by Real Madrid, who eased to a 2-0 win against them in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie
Karim Benzema celebrates after putting Real Madrid ahead with a close-range finish as he continued his impressive season
Benzema was left with a simple tap-in after Chelsea keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga had kept out Vinicius Jr’s initial effort
Substitute Marco Asensio gave Madrid breathing space and a two-goal cushion when he fired home a second goal
MATCH FACTS & PLAYER RATINGS
REAL MADRID (4-3-3): Courtois 7; Carvajal 6.5, Militao 6.5, Alaba 7, Camavinga 6 (Rudiger 70min, 6); Valverde 7, Kroos 8.5 (Tchouameni 84), Modric 6.5 (Ceballos 80); Rodrygo 6.5 (Asensio 70, 7), Benzema 6.5, Vinicius 8.
Scorers: Benzema 21, Asensio 74.
Booked: Camavinga, Militao, Carvajal
Manager: Carlo Ancelotti 7.5.
CHELSEA (3-5-2): Arrizabalaga 6.5; Fofana 6, Thiago Silva 6 (Mount 75, 6), Koulibaly 7.5 (Cucurella 54, 6); James 6.5, Kante 6.5 (Gallagher 74, 6), Fernandez 6.5, Kovacic 6, Chilwell 6; Sterling 6 (Havertz 65, 6), Felix 6 (Chalobah 65, 6.5).
Booked: Fofana, Kovacic. Sent off: Chilwell.
Manager: Frank Lampard 6.
Referee: Francois Letexier (France) 6.
Attendance: 63,142.
Boehly might well make another 3-0 prediction next week but he will get even fewer believers than he did last night. This result left Chelsea’s season hanging over the edge of a precipice of nothingness. They felt like bit-part players last night, the aperitif for what is likely to be a mouth-watering semi-final clash between Madrid and Manchester City.
On paper, a central midfield of the returning N’Golo Kante, Enzo Fernandez and Mateo Kovacic should be a match for any opponent, even one featuring Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Federico Valverde. But then after spending £600m on new players, looking good on paper has never been the problem. What happens on the pitch has been the problem.
Chelsea did fashion a glorious chance to take the lead in the third minute when Madrid lost possession in their own half and the visitors broke at lightning speed.
Kante played the ball through the Madrid defence and Joao Felix was clean through on goal. He did not quite have the pace to stay ahead of Eder Militao, though, and even though he managed to get a shot on target, it was well saved by Thibault Courtois.
Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell was shown a straight red card just before the hour mark for pulling back Madrid star Rodrygo
The left-back could have no complaints after sacrificing himself as the las man when Rodrygo was through on goal
Kepa was kept busy throughout the night at the Bernabeu and did well to keep the score down as he made several saves
For a short time, Chelsea looked like a different team to the one that has laboured so painfully through a woeful Premier League season. Kante robbed Modric in midfield and Chelsea broke again, outnumbering Madrid. Raheem Sterling was free but Kante could not quite find him and the move broke down on the edge of the area. It should have led to more. Sterling threw up his hands in frustration.
Madrid regrouped and gradually regained control. They monopolised possession and midway through the half, they made it pay. Dani Carvajal curled a superb pass into the path of the Vinicius Jr, who sprinted on to it and flung his left foot at it, guiding it towards the corner of the goal. Kepa Arrizabalaga got down brilliantly to push it away but it rolled into the path of Benzema, who tapped it in.
The game burst back into vivid life. Courtois saved smartly from Sterling at his near post and then, when Fernandez gave the ball away on the edge of the Chelsea box, Vinicius Jr skipped past Wesley Fofana and dinked the ball over Arrizabalaga only for Thiago Silva to hook it out from under the crossbar.
Madrid were dominant now. Both with the ball and without it. Their pressing was so fierce that Chelsea were starved of any meaningful possession. The home team began to weave magical patterns with the ball, too.
Benzema, Rodrygo and Vinicius Jr were like quicksilver in attack. Chelsea could not contain them. One turn from Benzema was so sharp that it sat both Kante and the referee down on their backsides. Chelsea were relieved when the half-time whistle blew.
Brazilian centre-back Thiago Silva returned from injury but had a difficult night against Benzema and Co on Wednesday night
Chelsea had some bright moments with Joao Felix forcing former Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois into an early save
Raheem Sterling was also denied by a good save from Courtois in the first half as Chelsea were left frustrated
Real nearly extended their lead five minutes into the second half. Vinicius Junior, who seems to delight in inflicting the most exquisite tortures on right backs from English teams, had put Fofana through agonies already and now he teased Reece James until the ball found Benzema on the edge of the box. Benzema laid it off to Modric and his shot curled inches wide of the upright.
Ten minutes later, Chelsea suffered another blow. Valverde played a brilliant lofted pass through the visitors’ defence. Rodrygo lost Marc Cucurella, who had come on for Kalidou Koulibaly, and sprinted on to it. He was running in on goal when Chilwell pulled him back by the arm and Rodrgyo tumbled to the ground just outside the box. It was an obvious red card and the referee duly brandished it. Chelsea had to play the final half an hour with 10 men.
Madrid finally got their second goal 15 minutes from time when the ball was worked from a short corner to Asensio on the edge of the box. His first time shot went straight through the attempt of Fofana to block it and eluded Arrizabalaga, who ought to have saved it.
Chelsea nearly got one back in the dying seconds through substitute Mason Mount but it was blocked by Antonio Rudiger at close range. It is a long road back from here. If you like a bet and an American dude with a pleased expression on his face and a giant wad of cash in his hand tells you that Chelsea are going to win 3-0 in the second leg, turn on your heels and run a mile.
Frank Lampard knows his side now face an uphill task to turn the tie around in the second leg against Carlo Ancelotti’s men.
source: dailymail.co.uk
