toptop
Chelsea
exited the Champions League with a humbling 4-0 aggregate loss to holders Real
Madrid as a Rodrygo's double condemned the Blues to a 2-0 defeat at Stamford
Bridge.
Frank Lampard's side needed to overturn a two-goal deficit from the first leg to
have any hope of salvaging silverware from a stormy season but Rodrygo's opener,
scored from close range following a rapid Madrid counter (58), effectively ended
the tie as a contest.
The Brazilian then added his second with another simple finish after Federico
Valverde had danced through Chelsea's static defence (80), the goal silencing
Stamford Bridge, underlining Madrid's superiority and setting up a potential
semi-final against Manchester City, who hold a 3-0 first-leg lead over Bayern
Munich.
Chelsea, beaten in three consecutive games following Lampard's appointment as
caretaker boss, started positively on the night but, in keeping with their
season as a whole, failed to take their chances, with N'Golo Kante spurning
their two best opportunities.
The Blues, 11th in the Premier League table and 17 points off the Champions
League spots with only seven games left to play, now face a season outside of
Europe's premier competition, leaving them with little to play for in the
remaining weeks of the campaign.
How Chelsea were outclassed
Chelsea needed to win by at least two goals, something they had only managed
twice in their last 20 games in all competitions, which made Lampard's seemingly
conservative team selection more surprising.
Instead of packing his team with firepower, the caretaker boss picked an extra
midfielder at the expense of an attacker, with Conor Gallagher starting and
Raheem Sterling dropping out.
That left Kai Havertz as Chelsea's only out-and-out attacker, with Gallagher and
Kante playing in unfamiliar roles as advanced No 8s, but the unusual system
appeared to flummox the visitors, at least initially, with Chelsea starting
positively.
Their best chance fell to Kante following a wicked cross by James, but the
Frenchman showed why he typically plays further back, rushing his first-time
shot and slicing well wide.
Chelsea continued to threaten, the home fans showing their appreciation for the
intensity of their performance, but Madrid soon gained a foothold in the game.
Rodrygo forced a near-post save from Kepa Arrizabalaga, with the evergreen
Modric testing the Chelsea goalkeeper from a similar position.
Real Madrid then spurned two excellent opportunities in as many minutes shortly
before half-time, with Vinicius Junior first failing to properly connect with
Modric's wicked cross having got in front of Wesley Fofana, and Karim Benzema
slashing wide after a rapid counter-attack led by the excellent Valverde.
It was Chelsea, though, who went closest to breaking the deadlock before the
interval, with former Chelsea man Thibaut Courtois, barracked by the home fans
throughout, pulling off a stunning close-range save from Marc Cucurella at the
back post.
That missed opportunity left Lampard holding his head in his hands and there was
another soon after the interval, when Gallagher nodded a loose ball down to
Kante in the box and the Frenchman again failed to convert, with Militao this
time blocking his effort.
Chelsea were incensed when Militao avoided a second booking for a foul on Trevoh
Chalobah, but just as it seemed the hosts were in the ascendency, with the home
fans fired up by that perceived injustice, Madrid struck the killer goal.
Rodrygo found himself in acres of space on Chelsea's left-hand side in the
build-up, and the 22-year-old was then in the right place at the right time to
convert from Vinicius' unselfish cut-back.
Lampard threw on Sterling, Joao Felix and Mykhailo Mudryk but it was already too
late at that point .
Chelsea's supporters mostly stayed behind to show their appreciation for the
team's efforts afterwards, but this was another crushing defeat in a season of
many, and one which effectively ends their campaign with over a month's worth of
fixtures still to play.
What's next for Chelsea?
Chelsea's scheduled Premier League meeting with Manchester United this weekend
is postponed due to their opponent's participation in the FA Cup, meaning their
next game is not until Wednesday next week, when they host Brentford.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, are likely to face Manchester City in the Champions
League semi-final, with Pep Guardiola's side heading to the Allianz Arena for
their quarter-final second leg against Bayern Munich on Wednesday with a 3-0
advantage from the first leg.
Teams
Chelsea Kepa, Chalobah, Thiago Silva (c), W. Fofana, James,
Kante, Enzo (Sterling 67), Kovacic, Cucurella (Mudryk 68), Gallagher (Felix 67),
Havertz (Mount 77)
Subs Not Used Mendy, Azpilicueta, Hall, Chukwuemeka,
Loftus-Cheek, Zakaria, Pulisic, Ziyech
Booked Cucurella, James, Mudryk
Goals
Real Madrid Courtois, Carvajal (Fernandez 81), Militao, Alaba
(Rudiger 46), Camavinga, Modric, Valverde, Kroos (Ceballos 76), Rodrygo (Asensio
81), Benzema (c) (Tchouameni 71), Vinicius
Subs Not Used Lunin, Lopez, Vallejo, Odriozola, Vazquez,
Hazard, Diaz
Booked Militao
Goals Rodrygo 58, 80
Attendance 39,453
Referee Daniele Orsato (Italy)
VAR Massimiliano Irrati (Italy)