UCL: Madrid take charge against Chelsea
Real Madrid 2 - 0 Chelsea
Real Madrid comfortably beat Chelsea in their Champions League quarterfinal first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu in a match whose final scoreline could have easily been more emphatic.
Chelsea didn't take advantage of a strong start.
They started well under new caretaker manager Frank Lampard, with Joao Felix and Raheem Sterling going close early, only to be thwarted by Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois playing against his former club.
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Karim Benzema's tap-in gave Real boss Carlo Ancelotti a fantastic start against his former club. The holders then struggled to add to their lead before Ben Chilwell was shown a straight red card in the 59th minute for fouling Rodrygo as the Brazil forward threatened to go clean through on goal.
Some positives to take for Chelsea.
The Blues carried more of an attacking threat after the tepid performance against Wolves in Frank Lampard's first game back as interim manager. They did have some decent chances in this match.
However, they must score at least twice in next Tuesday's quarter-final return leg at Stamford Bridge to progress. They are now without a goal in their past four matches. This will worry fans. That is a view which has been supported. The Champions League is their only hope of a trophy in this chaotic season. Lewis, a Chelsea fan, told us: "It was a slightly better performance, but the lack of goal threat is a definite concern for all the fans."
Real Madrid shows their strength.
They were far from their fluid best. That being said, they did enough to establish a healthy advantage as they look to win the competition for a record 15th time. Joao, a Manchester-based Real Madrid fan, added: "This was a really comfortable performance."
How's this for a stat?
With 35 wins, Carlo Ancelotti becomes the manager to record the most Champions League wins while in charge of Real Madrid. This has surpassed Vicente del Bosque who won 34.
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Highlights
Footage - Real Madrid v Chelsea (2-0) | Highlights | UEFA Champions League - YouTube
YouTuber Nyx commented on the video of the match: "It’s easy to blame the players and manager bounces, but we as fans can do more! Keep believing in the blues, and keep chanting even when faced with adversity, our stands have been far too quiet this season. We've had bigger comebacks. However, fans have been more supportive in the past, we need to show them what it means to play at the Bridge. Come on Chelsea!"
