Real Madrid continued their strong steps to win the championship for the second time in a row.
Real Madrid won 2-0 in the second leg of the quarterfinals of the European먹튀검증 Champions League (UCL) in the 2022-2023 season against Chelsea held at Stamford Bridge in London, England on the morning of the 19th (Korean time). Real Madrid, who won the first and second games 4-0 on aggregate, succeeded in advancing to the semifinals. 4th in 3 seasons in a row. Real Madrid, who lifted the big year last season, are on the verge of winning a second straight title. Real Madrid is the most successful team in the Champions League with 14 titles. Chelsea, which poured over £600 million under the Todd Boelli system this season, tried to turn around by sacking Graham Porter and appointing Frank Lampard as manager, but collapsed helplessly. Chelsea stayed unattended.
Real Madrid pulled out a 4-3-3 card. Vinicius-Karim Benzema-Rodrigo Threetop came out. Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Federico Valverde lined up in midfield. The back four was made up by Eduardo Camavinga, David Alaba, Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal. The goalkeeper was Thibaut Courtois. Chelsea faced off with a 3-5-2. With Kai Havertz at the forefront, Conor Gallagher was positioned below him. The midfield consisted of Marc Cucurella-Rhys James on the left and right, Mateo Kovacic, Enzo Fernandez and Ngolo Kante. The Threeback was formed by Trevo Chalova, Thiago Silva and Wesley Popana. The goalkeeper’s gloves were worn by Kepa Arrizabala.
Chelsea, who lost 0-2 in the first leg, actively tried to recover. The pressure centered on Havertz shined. Kante had a chance in the 10th minute of the first half, but the shot went wide of the target. Real Madrid’s counterattack was also formidable. Rodrygo’s powerful shot hit the post in the 20th minute. Chelsea overcame the crisis and continued to attack. Gallagher’s decisive header in the 30th minute was canceled for offside. Real Madrid counterattacked. Modric’s shot was blocked by Kepa in the 32nd minute. Chelsea had a decisive chance in the first half of extra time. James’ cross went too far, and the ball flowed to Cucurella, who was uninformed. Cucurella’s shot was blocked by Courtois’ super save.
Real Madrid made a change first. At the start of the second half, Alaba was replaced by Antoni Rudiger. Rudiger played for Chelsea until last season. Early in the second half, Chelsea had a decisive chance. In the 7th minute of the second half, Gallagher’s header was headed for Kante in a mess before the goal, and Kante’s shot was blocked by Militang’s physical defense. Real Madrid overcame the crisis and scored the opening goal. In the 13th minute of the second half, Vinicius caught the ball that Rodrygo broke through the right side and connected, and Vinicius gave it back to Rodrygo. Rodrygo scored a valuable goal with a calm finish.
Embarrassed, Chelsea pulled the reins of the attack. But the shooting was powerless. In the 22nd minute, Joao Felix, Raheem Sterling, and Michael Moudric were put in without Gallagher, Enso, and Cucurella. The plan was to aim for a goal with three strikers. On the other hand, Real Madrid replaced Benzema in the 26th minute with Orelien Chuameni and Dani Ceballos in place of a cross in the 31st minute. Excluding veterans, added stamina. In the midst of Chelsea’s offensive, Real Madrid scored a key goal. In the 35th minute, Valverde broke through and connected the ball to Rodrygo in the center, who finished it off and put a wedge in the game.
Benzema became the fifth player to play in his 150th UCL match, and Kroos succeeded in his 150th UEFA competition appearance. He became the 17th player. Chelsea are on their first four-game losing streak since 1993. Chelsea had the formula of winning the UCL after changing the manager, but this day was different. UEFA selected Valverde as the official MOM. “We played well for 60 minutes. We had good chances, but at this level we had to grab them. It was an unpraiseable performance because we lost the game,” said Lampard. “We played well, we had a lot of chances. Better chances than they did. But in football, the team that takes chances wins. We didn’t. It was a disappointing game,” Gallagher said.
According to WhoScored.com, Rodrygo was rated the highest among both teams with 8.9 points. At Real Madrid, Valverde and Courtois have the second highest rating, behind Rodrygo, with an 8.1 rating. Vinicius and Carvajal were next with 7.6 points. At Chelsea, Havertz and James had the highest rating with 7 points, but could not prevent defeat.
Real Madrid will play the winner of the Bayern Munich-Man City match in the semi-finals. It looks like it will be a de facto final. In the first leg, Manchester City won 3-0.