Real Madrid were dominant at home and individual mistakes cost Chelsea in a disappointing 2-0 loss to Los Blancos on Wednesday. Real Madrid's press was excellent. Their first goal came from Chelsea losing the ball in their own half and Dani Carvajal finding none other than Vinicus Jr in the box. While the Brazillian didn't score the goal due to good reflexes from Kepa Arrizabalaga, Karim Benzema was in the box to make sure that the rebound from the initial shot wouldn't go to waste and the ball would end up in the back of the net.
Being a fox in the box is what Benzema does and despite a good plan from the Blues they were unable to stop him. Frank Lampard's plan did cause some issues for Real Madrid as Raheem Sterling and Joao Felix got shots on target but after Ben Chilwell was sent off for a challenge on Vini Jr., Chelsea didn't have an attacking threat left. Marco Asencio would nab the insurance goal and a 2-0 advantage may be too much for Chelsea to overturn in the return leg.
Lampard had a tall task in setting Chelsea up for this match, and they didn't score a goal in their last three matches coming in. Going into the half only down 1-0, Chelsea did well despite not having possession and they had a chance to advance with better finishing. While that has been the story of Chelsea's season, it's not on Lampard as he was put in this position with little room for error.
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Things took a turn for the worst when Chilwell was dismissed but even late in the match, Mason Mount was able to come close to scoring a goal. For what Chelsea have been so far this season, just competing with Real Madrid is a win when they could've been wiped off the pitch on another day.
It says a lot about how far Chelsea have fallen this season that a narrow loss to a world power doesn't sting and they're not far removed from brushing shoulders and even defeating Real Madrid but that's how quickly time moves in soccer. Todd Boehly has a tall task ahead in figuring out how to make this team click and Lampard will play a role as he is the bridge to their new manager, whoever that may be.
From a Real Madrid perspective, while they won the match, Carlo Ancelotti may have wanted a more emphatic result. The team did waste chances and could've gone ahead 4-0 or more. Margins are thin in Champions League and just having the chance to advance is certainly something to celebrate but just advancing is the expectation for Los Blancos.
They picked their spot and never got out of first gear which is why Real Madrid are so feared in this competition. A team that have been there and won everything, they understand what is required in each match of a knockout competition and deliver more often than not. No more, and no less. Facing Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey, Real Madrid knew they had to score enough to put Barcelona into submission and that's just what they did.
Flipping things to facing Chelsea, after going ahead, all that had to be done was limit Chelsea's chances since the forwards won't beat you if they're given the ball. Not only did Real Madrid do that but they were able to get one of Chelsea's most creative players in Chilwell suspended in the process. With one foot into the final four of Champions League, matches like this show why Real Madrid have won five of the last 10 Champions League titles -- it's in their DNA.