Real Madrid quell Chelsea revolution and reach Champions League semi-final
- Real Madrid clinched their Champions League semi-final qualification, despite a 2-3 loss to Chelsea on Tuesday, in the second leg of the last eight at the Santiago Bernabeu.
- Real Madrid, 5-4 on aggregate, secured a first-leg win (3-1), in the Blues stronghold of Stamford Bridge.
- Real Madrid, in the golden box, will face qualifiers between Manchester City and Atletico Madrid.
- He scored for Chelsea, Mont, Rudiger, and Werner in minutes 15, 51, and 75, while he scored for Real Madrid, Rodrigo, and Benzema in minutes 80 and 96.
- The game began with pressure from Real, and the referee counted, Mernji's free-kick, at the boundary of the area, was carried out by Benzema but his shot went over the top of the goal in the 11th minute.
- Mont, opening the scoring for Chelsea in the 15th minute, conceded a pass deep from teammate Werner, and shot straight down the left of goalkeeper Courtois.
- Mont volleyed from inside the box, but it was not as strong as required, with Courtois easily catching it in the 18th minute.
- Benzema, a powerful ball on the boundary of the box, aimed but it hit Thiago Silva and turned a corner in the 23rd minute.
- Kovacic, a shot that passed the top of Real Madrid's goal in the 28th minute, and Casemiro, a powerful ball from outside the area, passed the top of the goal.
- Antonio Rudiger, a powerful shot from outside the area, drove past the left post, in the 35th minute, to end the first half with Chelsea leading with a goal.
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- As the second half began, Rudiger added Chelsea's second goal in the 51st minute, from a Mont corner, reaching Rudiger inside the area, who rose and headed down Courtois's left.
- Mont, passing a ball to teammate Kai Havertz inside the area, and the latter, volleying into the outside net of Courtois's goal in the 56th minute.
- Marcos Alonso, Chelsea's third goal in the 64th minute, scored, but the referee disallowed it for having a handball on the Blues player before scoring.
- The crossbar denied Benzema the first goal, hitting a header that hit Mendy's crossbar, in the 65th minute.
- Timo Werner, the Blues' third goal in the 75th minute, added as he received a pass from Kovacic, dribbling the Mernji defense, before hitting a ball that touched Courtois before landing the net.
- Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois impressed, saving a header from Chelsea's Havertz in the 78th minute.
- Substitute Rodrigo managed Real's first goal in the 80th minute, conceding a cross from the left end through Modric, firing from one touch down Mendy's left.
- Attempts from both teams continued, with the original time ending with the Blues leading 3-1, and extra runs being resorted to.
- Benzema managed Real Madrid's second goal, in the 96th minute, quell Chelsea revolution receiving a left-hand cross through Vinicius, and shooting down Mendy's right.
- Despite attempts by Chelsea players in the final minutes, the Merengue withstood the English tide and managed to seal qualification for the semi-finals.