18 April 2023 , 20:54
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Chelsea went out of the Champions League with a whimper as Real Madrid coolly dispatched them with another 2-0 victory in their quarter-final clash.
Los Blancos earned a 4-0 aggregate win following a victory by the same scoreline on home soil last Wednesday, with Frank Lampard failing to mastermind an almighty comeback. The Blues had plenty of chances, with Marc Cucurella spectacularly denied by Thibaut Courtois in the closing stages of a positive first half as far as the hopeful hosts were concerned.
Hpwever, it felt like only a matter of time before Carlo Ancelotti and co punished Lampard's men and in the 57th minute they did, as Rodrygo finished off a ruthless attack. The Brazilian bagged another in the dying embers, inflicting Lampard's fourth successive defeat since being appointed interim manager and ending the contest, making it Chelsea's worst run of form in 30 years.
Here are five talking points from Stamford Bridge.
Lampard's lack of striker
The task for Chelsea coming into the match was clear: score at least two goals. For that, you'd have expected Frank Lampard to go with plenty of forwards in a bid to bombard Real Madrid's goal.
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Instead, though, the interim Blues boss decided to name Kai Havertz as his only recognised forward, supported by Conor Gallagher, Saturday's goalscorer in the dismal defeat at home to Brighton. It allowed N'Golo Kante to take up a more attacking role and use both Enzo Fernandez and Mateo Kovacic's qualities in build-up - but it's goals that mattered.
Frank Lampard opted for just one recognised forward in his starting XI (Michael Regan/Getty Images)Benzema enters the 150 club
After his hat-trick in West London last year, it's fair to say that Karim Benzema is fond of Stamford Bridge. What'll perhaps make him remember Chelsea's home that little more is how he made his 150th Champions League appearance at the stadium by starting this second leg.
Joining former Real Madrid team-mates Cristiano Ronaldo and Iker Casillas, as well as Barcelona icons Lionel Messi and Xavi, Benzema entered the exclusive club. Not that a Ballon d'Or win suggests otherwise, but it's maybe another reminder to us that the French striker is indeed a legendary figure in the realms of European football.
Karim Benzema made his 150th Champions League appearance on the night (Vincent Mignott/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)Courtois' big save
When you're playing against a 6ft 7in goalkeeper, the last thing you want to do is give him any chance of using his huge frame to deny you a potentially game-changing goal. Unfortunately for Marc Cucurella, a Barcelona academy graduate, he stalled when taking a shot in first-half added time, allowing the towering Thibaut Courtois to sprawl across his goal and make a vital save to keep it goalless, just as an early miss from Kante did.
Cucurella's effort, spectacularly saved by the former Chelsea shot-stopper, came at the end of an impressive for Lampard and co's recent standards. The Blues played much more positively than in the Premier League and troubling Real Madrid, who still had a series of chances on the break, with their intensity. Lampard would've felt that his side deserved a goal but the lack of a goalscorer once again came into question. An outstanding display from Reece James could only do so much.
Marc Cucurella was denied by Thibaut Courtois in the dying embers of the first halfRodrygo's sucker punch
12 minutes into the second half and with more guilt-edge opportunities not taken, Chelsea fans began to worry that they'd missed their chance to make a game of this. In typically cold-blooded fashion, Real Madrid punished the Blues for a defensive lapse, as Rodrygo steamed past Trevoh Chalobah and neat interplay inside the Blues' 18-yard box allowed the Brazilian to put the tie to bed.
There was a suggestion among fans and pundits that Chelsea should've made some attacking substitutions at half-time in order to capitalise on Los Blancos' first-half frailties, but poor defending is what cost the Blues. It felt like the same old story this season.
Rodrygo put the tie to bed by punishing some poor defending from Chelsea (GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)Have your say! Who'll win the Champions League? Join the debate in the comments section.
Los Blancos' bright future
For a side constantly lauded over how their ageing stalwarts like Benzema, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos have been the pillars of their long-lasting success, sometimes the younger players get overlooked in the biggest games. On Tuesday, though, it was clear to see the most impressive elements of Carlo Ancelotti's team were indeed the stars of the future.
Rodrygo scored a second in the closing stages to cap an excellent display, but it was the brilliance midfield dynamo Federico Valverde which created the goal. Sublime feet allowed Valverde to burst through the Chelsea defence and the Uruguayan calmly set Rodrygo up for a tap-in, setting up what's set to be a semi-final clash with Manchester City - unless Bayern Munich shock the world tomorrow night.
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