CHELSEA have been knocked out of the Champions League after losing 4-0 on aggregate to Real Madrid in their quarter-final.
Rodrygo scored twice in the second leg at Stamford Bridge to give the Spanish giants a 2-0 win away on the night.
Frank Lampard’s Blues showed glimpses of getting into the tie, with N’Golo Kante and Marc Cucurella having good chances before Real dominated in the second half.
- Result: Chelsea 0 Real Madrid 2 (0-4 agg)
- Chelsea XI: Kepa; James, Thiago Silva, Fofana, Chalobah, Cucurella; Kovacic, Kanté, Enzo Fernandez; Gallagher Havertz
- Real Madrid XI: Courtois, Carvajal, Militao, Alaba, Camavinga, Kroos, Modric, Valverde, Rodrgyo, Vinicius Jnr, Benzema
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Goodbye!
Real Madrid will find out their semi-final opponent tomorrow when Manchester City face Bayern Munich.
Read more reaction to Chelsea’s loss via SunSport’s player ratings.
And check out the major blunder before kick-off at Stamford Bridge.
“We were much improved”
After the game, Frank Lampard told BT Sport: “We played really well for 60 minutes. We created chances but you have to take them.
“You don’t want to praise the performance too much when you lose at this level but we were much improved.
“This club has been further in this competition and the players can take this feeling forward with them for the future.”
On the rest of the season, Lampard says: “You’re playing for Chelsea. So regardless, every game you play you have to give everything.
“I won’t let anyone off the hook and we have to show. That standard cannot drop.”
Lampard’s horror run
Frank Lampard has won just one of his last 18 games as a manager, losing 15 of them, in a run that dates back to his time at Everton earlier this season.
He has also lost all eight of the games he has took charge of in 2021.
Lampard also becomes the first manager in Chelsea history to lose his first four games as manager of the club.
The Blues have lost four consecutive games for the first time since 1993.
Gallagher’s post-match thoughts
Conor Gallagher spoke to BT Sport after Chelsea suffered their fourth defeat in a row.
He said: “I feel like we played well and had a lot of chances. But football is all about taking your chances which we didn’t do today.
“Of course we are going to be gutted. We haven’t got that [cutting edge] at the minute but that was definitely a big improvement on recent performances.
“We pushed players forward and Real Madrid were able to catch us a couple of times. We take it one game at a time. Hopefully we can build on the performance because I feel it was positive in a way.”
Match Stats
The stats highlight Chelsea’s problem.
Loads of shot, lots of pressure, but they again can’t find the back of the net.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid were clinical.
Goalscoring problems hurt Chelsea again
Frank Lampard and Thiago Silva clap their fans home but both will be frustrated with the way the game panned out.
The manager was criticised by fans before the game begun due to his team selection that saw Chelsea start with four central midfielders.
However, Lampard’s plan worked perfectly in the first-half as the Blues were comfortably the better team and had two big chances to score.
Yet, it was perhaps his team selection that led to the chances being missed.
N’Golo Kante is not the man you want on the end of a bouncing ball and Marc Cucurella also doesn’t have much goalscoring history.
Chelsea put many balls into the box but there were rarely any takers or any player ready to pounce on a loose ball or dart into the box.
It is crazy how Todd Boehly has spent over £600m in two transfer windows but they still lack a striker and in-form attackers.
Credit: Reuters AC Milan knock out Napoli
AC Milan have beaten Napoli 2-1 on aggregate.
Stefano Pioli’s side drew 1-1 tonight in Naples with Olivier Giroud and Victor Osimhen scoring the goals tonight.
Napoli are miles ahead in the Serie A table, with Milan 22 points behind them in the league, yet they go through to the semi-finals to play either Inter Milan or Benfica.
Full Time: Chelsea 0-2 Real Madrid
Chelsea are out of the Champions League, losing 4-0 to Real Madrid on aggregate.
The Blues had plenty of chances to get themselves back in the tie as Kante and Cucurella missed glorious opportunities in the first-half.
In the end, they are left to rue those chances not taken as Real Madrid showed their quality and experience to net twice via Rodrygo.
Credit: Richard Pelham / The Sun Chelsea 0-2 Real Madrid
90+1. Two minutes before Chelsea get put out their misery.
Pockets of empty seats are beginning to form as Fofana gives away a free-kick.
Real Madrid are seeing the game out, keeping control of the ball.
Chelsea are set to lose four successive games for the first time since 1993.
Chelsea 0-2 Real Madrid
89. Mudryk gets a yellow card for catching Modric late.
A sliding tackle that is full of frustration about the result.
Felix then has a shot from 30 yards that flies into row Z.
Chelsea 0-2 Real Madrid
88. Chelsea’s season summarised.
Mudryk is offside and the flag saves some embrassment.
The Ukrainian winger is in, Courtois narrows down the angle well, but somehow Mudryk fails to even get his shot on target. Disappointing.
Chelsea 0-2 Real Madrid
86. Real Madrid are trying to walk it home now, showing off their class.
Vinicius has a chance to shoot but he instead opts for a cheeky pass to Ceballos.
Chalobah is there to intercept it and drive forward out the defence, yet there is a lack of movement up front. Belief that Lampard spoke about before the game is now all gone.
Chelsea 0-2 Real Madrid
84. Chelsea look demoralised, Real Madrid are cruising.
Valverde has been exceptional all evening and he is pulling the strings in midfield with his energy and great passing.
The intensity has completely gone from the Chelsea performance.
Chelsea 0-2 Real Madrid
81. Asensio and Nacho come on for Rodrygo and Carvajal.
Ancelotti resting his key players now.
GOAL: Chelsea 0-2 Real Madrid
79. A goal that oozes class and it sends Chelsea fans to the exit.
Rodrygo with another tap-in.
Vinicius pulls it back to Valverde as he skips past Mudryk and Silva with silky touches.
The Uruguayan then passes it across the face of the goal for Rodrygo to smash it in.
Bayern Munich or Man City will play Real Madrid in the semi-final.
Chelsea 0-1 Real Madrid
77. Subs for both.
Mount is on for Havertz.
And for Real Madrid, Kroos comes off for Ceballos.
Chelsea 0-1 Real Madrid
75. Vinicius Jr is away and through on goal – everyone expects it to go 2-0.
However, Mudryk uses all his speed to zoom back.
He and Chalobah do enough to prevent Vinicius getting a clear shot away.
Chelsea 0-1 Real Madrid
73. Felix does so well, dribbling the ball out of the defence into the attack, nutmegging an opponent on the way.
But he tries to release Sterling and his pass is intercepted by Camavinga.
Chelsea frustration grows. The cutting edge and confidence in attack just is not there.
Chelsea 0-1 Real Madrid
71. Benzema hands the captain’s armband to Modric.
He trudges off the pitch after a very poor performance from his standards – he has not really touched the ball much in threatening areas and given it away far too often.
Tchouameni comes on.
Chelsea 0-1 Real Madrid
70. Havertz throws himself to the floor after being lightly tapped by Modric.
The referee and VAR tell him to get up.
Chelsea 0-1 Real Madrid
69. That man again with the block, Militao.
Kante shifts it wide to James, who opts to pull it back to the edge of the box to Sterling, only for his shot to hit the centre-back and fo out for a corner.
Chelsea 0-1 Real Madrid
67. Here comes the three changes.
Felix for Gallagher.
Sterling for Fernandez.
And Mudryk for Cucurella.
Chelsea 0-1 Real Madrid
66. Incredible skill from Vinicius Jr, dancing around multiple Chelsea defenders.
The ball drops to Benzema and his first time shot is straight at Kepa.
Chelsea 0-1 Real Madrid
65. Fernandez has a go, his shot is powerful but Courtois is down quickly to make a good save.
Chelsea 0-1 Real Madrid
63. It is the travelling Real Madrid supporters that can be heard singing for the first time tonight.
Mudryk, Sterling and Felix are going to come on.
Maybe too late with the scoreline as it is now.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
