- Akshat Mehrish
Real Madrid and Chelsea played each other in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg, hoping to secure an advantage ahead of the return fixture. Both sides scored in the match, although the Blues took the away goal with them to Stamford Bridge.
Amid the Super League controversy, Chelsea and Real Madrid faced each other at Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano in Madrid. The Champions League semi-final tie went ahead as planned despite calls to expel both teams from the competition last week. Record champions Real Madrid had beaten Liverpool to reach the penultimate stage of the tournament, while Chelsea had eliminated Porto.
Both teams mirrored each other in terms of the formation, with Zinedine Zidane opting to switch to a three-man backline to counter Chelsea. Real Madrid were missing some key players for this match, with Sergio Ramos and Ferland Mendy sidelined through injury. Chelsea, meanwhile, had just the one injury concern with former Real Madrid star Mateo Kovacic missing out.
Chelsea started the stronger of the two sides and took advantage of the gaps in Real Madrid midfield. The Blues had a glorious opportunity to take the lead early on when Mason Mount’s deflected cross was headed into Timo Werner’s path by Christian Pulisic. However, the German striker saw his effort from point-blank range saved miraculously by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
Tuchel’s side did take the lead shortly after. Defender Antonio Rudiger picked out the run of Pulisic with an excellent long pass. The American attacker collected the ball inside the box, dribbled past Courtois, and calmly scored past the Real Madrid defenders – who by that point had retreated to the goal line.
Chelsea continued to take advantage of the huge gaps in the Madrid midfield. However, the Blues were unable to find the key final pass to play Werner behind the opposition defence. Los Blancos grew into the match and soon found the equalizer. A well-worked corner was headed into a dangerous area by Casemiro before Eder Militao flicked the ball towards Karim Benzema. The Frenchman scored a stunning volley after setting himself up with his head.
Both teams continued to search for the telling goal for the remaining sixty minutes. Nevertheless, neither side could find the winner. As such, the scoreline stands at 1-1 before the second leg next week in London.
