Benzema continued his goalscoring footsteps.
57% vs 43% possession, 18-7 shots, 10-3 shots on target, 3-8 saves... The data on the pitch faithfully reflects the situation of Real Madrid and Chelsea in the first leg of the quarter-final of the Champions League.
Real Madrid goalkeeper Courtois was even a little annoyed when talking about the 2-0 score after the game, "We could have killed the suspense of the knockout rounds and hoped we didn't regret not scoring more at home in the second leg. ”
It seems that Real Madrid is indeed a little too strong for Chelsea today.
Vinicius's shot was saved and Benzema followed up with a follow-up shot.
The comfortable pace of Real Madrid
Part of Chelsea's problems stem from a regime change at Stamford Bridge – Chelsea's new owner, Burley, doesn't seem to have learned how to build a successful football team.
In addition to the crazy money in the transfer market, the Blues are still only 11th in the Premier League, and not long ago swept away coach Porter...
When a messy Chelsea arrived at the Bernabeu to challenge the defending champions, it would not be surprising to make any mistakes.
Of course, Chelsea were not without chance – Felix was awarded a solo in the opening three minutes, but the Portuguese deflected all the way under duress from the defender and could only barely finish his shot when the right angle of the penalty area was uncomfortable, only to be saved by Courtois.
Give you a chance, you don't use it - when it is Real Madrid's turn to really move, then there is still a way to live? Two shots were slammed in the first and second half and Chelsea fell to the ground in response.
Asensio scored from long range in front of the penalty area.
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti also stressed this shift in initiative when he returned from the game, "The team played well, it was just a bit of a problem with the position in the opening period, luckily we withstood the pressure from the opponent and then the game came to our rhythm. ”
For an experienced team like Real Madrid, once they are comfortable playing, it is only a matter of time before they score - Real Madrid methodically eats away at the opponent like a giant beast, and the two goals are separated by a full 50 minutes, but in the meantime, Real Madrid's advantage continues to expand.
In the 53rd minute, Rodrigo's counterattack forced Koulibaly to play for his life, resulting in the latter being injured; In the 59th minute, Rodrigo won a single knife, Chilwell had no choice but to foul from behind and was sent off by the referee directly with a red card...
Chilwell pulled down Rodrigo and was sent off with a straight red card.
Fuzheng "Hidden Menu"
It is worth mentioning that Real Madrid produced the same lineup that swept Barca 4-0 in the Copa del Rey.
In central midfielder Modric and Kroos starting together, Rodrigo continued to partner Benzema and Vinicius up front, although the loss of Chuameni may make the team a little passive in intercepting counter-tackles at the back, but Real Madrid's improved ability to play the ball and the attacking three-arrow shot became more deadly.
Vinicius dominated the two goals, Rodrigo had Chelsea downsized twice and Benzema continued to score the ball, and Ancelotti said after the game: "I brought Benzema closer to the wing, closer to Vinicius, Vinicius may not always be in the clearest state of mind when he launches the counter-attack, he may not always make the right choice, but he played a very important role this time. ”
Vinicius created opportunities for Benzema.
In this team where most of the core players are old, Vinicius and Rodrigo are a source of vitality, and Vinicius quickly catches the ball in the 30-meter area of the front court to seek cooperation with Benzema, which is almost Real Madrid's tried-and-true kill.
Looking at world football, no team has a top-3 partner with both winger and centre-forward, and no other team has such a strong chemistry as Vinicius and Benzema today.
What's even more frightening is that when the opponent's defensive energy is pulled by the two of them, Rodrigo on the weak side can launch a surprise attack again.
In the past, Rodrigo was often used by the veteran Ancelotti as a backhand, which is also plug-and-play, but this season into the second half, Ancelotti began to straighten Rodrigo's "hidden menu".
Perhaps Carlo Ancelotti was also worried about last season's comeback in the knockout stages of the Champions League and decided to make a change, and it seems that everything is going as he wants it for now.
Rodrigo (left) produced Chilwell's red card.
Ancelotti's high emotional intelligence
Since then, Carlo Ancelotti has played 47 Champions League games as Real Madrid manager, winning 35 of them, the most Champions League wins in the club's history, and Ancelotti even easily flipped the ball on the sidelines near the end of the game.
Regarding the 2-0 result, Carlo Ancelotti expressed satisfaction, but he always believed that the Champions League knockout stage needed to be taken seriously over both legs.
'We may be expecting to kill the game, but we had some physical problems in the final stages, so we should be satisfied that we can't relax in the next leg, Chelsea also lost the first leg in the last round and came back to the home turnaround.
Carlo Ancelotti tossed the ball on the sidelines.
In the interview, Carlo Ancelotti also mentioned new Blues boss Frank Lampard: "I have good memories with him, he was a good player and I have high expectations for him and want him to be a good manager, but certainly not next Tuesday. ”
Carlo Ancelotti has always shown his language art, showing plenty of respect for both Chelsea and Frank Lampard, but there is another meaning between words – now is not the time for you to stir things up.
Carlo Ancelotti and former disciple Frank Lampard meet in the arena.
Chelsea's last chance
Contrary to Real Madrid's recent improvement, Chelsea are still struggling with the quagmire.
The team has now lost 16 games in all competitions this season, more than 15 wins, and given their place in the league, the Champions League is almost the only battleground where they can make a name for themselves and this season.
Afterwards Lampard stressed that the team was not broken: 'With only 10 men playing for half an hour, we created some chances, which is part of the game I liked, we still have a long 90 minutes to fight for, the support of the fans and the atmosphere will help. ”