Real Madrid had an easy run in the first leg of the Champions League quarters as they made light work of Chelsea, who were down by a man. It was Benzema, Vinicius, and Asensio who made it possible for Real to take a vital lead against Chelsea in their home game.
At the Bernabeu, Real was up within twenty minutes through Karim Benzema’s goal. And by full-time, Asensio’s second had taken a step away from their semi-final ambitions.
The scoreline was ultimately not surprising and though they missed a golden chance into extra time when Antonio Rudiger dived to deny Mount, they should be thankful that the scoreline wasn’t worse. Real Madrid had 18 shots on goal, with Benzema having a number of them including the last header that sped over the goal.
Chelsea Was Nervous In Possession From The Start
Real Madrid came up with a show that Carlo Ancelotti rightly termed completed. Through the night, their defense was ripped apart by Vinícius Júnior. Real stepped up the pressure as the game progressed and they faltered, unable to handle it.
They were unable to escape the pressure and could not carry the game into the second half. They could not sustain pressure on the Spanish giants when they had possession of the ball. They seemed a bit edgy whenever they had the ball.
Chelsea’s back line looked cornered, and a break was inevitable from the start. The nervousness was palpable whenever they had possession of the ball. It was from one such bout that Chelsea lost possession, Carvajal clipped it into the area, and Vinicius rushed in but was parried by Arrizabalaga. But Benzema following behind slotted it home. It all looked so easy.
As the game opened up, Chelsea lost control. Chelsea was left fending off wave after wave of relentless attacks.
