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.
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.
