Real beat Chelsea in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals
The return of N'Golo Kante energizes Chelsea in the Champions League, helping the British representative enter the excitement at the Bernabeu. But after failing to take advantage of opportunities in the early minutes, Frank Lampard's students lost the game. Real's filth in the Champions League was shown by Karim Benzema's first-half lead. At the beginning of the second half, the home team was overplayed when Ben Chilwell was sent off. Taking advantage of the numbers, Real scored more goals thanks to Marco Asensio, creating an advantage before the second leg.
At the beginning of the match, the trio of Kante, Mateo Kovacic and Enzo Fernandez played fair with Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Federico Valverde - who did not have to start against Villarreal over the weekend. Kante's reading of the situation and pace opened the door for Joao Felix in the third minute, but the Portuguese wasn't fast enough to leapfrog Eder Militao. In a tight corner, Felix could not beat Thibaut Courtois.
Kante's mobility helped Chelsea dominate in the first 10 minutes, before Benzema warned the visitors with a pass and shot at Kepa's position. The French striker once engulfed Chelsea in the quarter-finals last season, with four goals in two matches. This season, Benzema continued to sow sorrow for the London team, with the opening goal in the 21st minute. Dani Carvajal poked a favorable slot for Vinicius Jr to escape with a one-touch finish, before Benzema kicked the goal.
The match came to life after Real's goal. A few minutes after the goal, Chelsea almost equalized, when Raheem Sterling cushioned the ball close to Thibaut Courtois' position. But after that situation, Real pressed fiercely and did not let the visitors play the ball. The home side would have had a second goal if Thiago Silva hadn't saved on the line after Vinicius Jr beat Wesley Fofana and Kepa.
The clear chances continued into the second half, when Vinicius Jr repeatedly edged past Reece James. The Brazilian winger returned the second line to Benzema for a medium pass, allowing Luka Modric to narrowly cut his heart and jump the bar.
Real didn't have to wait long to get an advantage. From Valverde's cross in the 59th minute, Rodrygo escaped to face Kepa. Ben Chilwell was forced to foul on the edge of the box to prevent the goal from conceding ten. The England player received a direct red card, pushing Chelsea into a defensive position for more than half an hour of the last game.
Real scored another goal, after Marco Asensio's kick from outside the penalty area in the 74th minute. Ancelotti's teachers and students had a reason to regret even though they won 2-0. Because with the advantage over people, they could have scored more goals to avoid the risks in the second leg at Stamford Bridge. Last season, Real beat Chelsea 3-1 in the first leg but were 0-3 in the second leg and almost eliminated without the shining moments of Rodrygo and Benzema.
The opportunity for Chelsea is still there, when they get to play the second leg at home. Chelsea's first two championships in the Champions League came when they changed their generals in the middle of a bad season (2012 and 2021). This season, the dismissal of Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter, in favor of coach Frank Lampard, can give Chelsea fans hope for a third Champions League title. But first, Lampard needs to solve the problem on the green half of London. Since he arrived at the beginning of the month, Chelsea have yet to score.
