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    Champions League: All the reaction as Chelsea beaten by Real Madrid in thriller

    Planet Sport writerStaff Writer12 April 2022
    Rodrygo and Karim Benzema celebrate during Real Madrid's Champions League QF home leg v Chelsea

    Rodrygo and Karim Benzema celebrate during Real Madrid's Champions League QF home leg v Chelsea

    Karim Benzema dumps holders out with extra-time winner after Blues launch stunning comeback in the Bernabeu.

    Antonio Rudiger blamed "mistakes" for Chelsea's Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid after their tremendous semi-final comeback stalled in extra time.

    Trailing 3-1 from the first leg at Stamford Bridge, few gave the holders much of a chance of reaching the semi-finals.

    But, incredibly, goals from Mason Mount, Rudiger and Timo Werner put them 3-0 up on the night - and 15 minutes away from the last four.

    However, Rodrygo levelled the tie with 10 minutes of normal time to go before Karim Benzema, Real's hat-trick hero in the first leg, headed in the decisive goal in extra time as the Spaniards completed a 5-4 aggregate win, once which sets up a clash with either Manchester City or local rivals Atletico Madrid.

    'Decisions went against us'

    Thomas Tuchel said he was proud of his players, but also extremely disappointed with the referee.
    VAR also inspired his ire after it controversially ruled out a Marcos Alonso goal for handball.
    "I'm disappointed that the referee had a good time with my colleague, Carlo Ancelotti," said Tuchel.
    "I know Carlo is a gentleman and a nice guy but when I wanted to go and say thank you [to the referee] I see him smiling and laughing loudly with the opponent coach.
    "I think this is the very, very worst time to do this, after 126 minutes with one team giving their heart and desire, fighting to the very last drop.
    "Afterwards you go as a coach and see the referee laughing and smiling with the other coach. I think it's very, very bad timing.
    "If you play against Real Madrid you can maybe not expect everybody has the courage. I felt little decisions went against us also in the first-leg and today as well.
    "I did not see the goal but I told him I'm super disappointed he didn't go to check it himself.
    "You should stay the boss and not give decisions like this to somebody in a chair and isolated from the atmosphere (the VAR).
    "A referee has a certain style, things he allows and doesn't allow, so I think he should stay in charge and check it on his own, then he could explain it better.
    "But this is just my opinion. Maybe it's too much to ask for in matches like this against this opponent.
    "We had it in our hands and we were not lucky enough, it's like this."

    'We didn't give up'

    A gutted Rudiger told BT Sport: "The positive is we didn't give up - not many teams come here and dominate like we did.

    "But, the big but, is over the two legs if you make the type of mistakes that we do, you get punished."

    The German praised the individual brilliance of Luka Modric, who set up Rodrygo's goal with a sublime pass, and Benzema, adding: "It was do or die for us. Before the game not everybody thought we would have a 3-0 (lead) but then the individual class comes to light with Modric and Benzema. Now we are here."

    Modric: We were dead

    Modric, meanwhile, said Real had come back from the dead having fallen 3-0 down in their famous Bernabeu stadium.
    "We were dead until the goal that we scored," he said.
    "But we didn't give up. We keep believing, we keep fighting and in the end scored two goals - we showed character."
    Modric and co got off to a poor start with Mount putting Chelsea in front with a calm finish after just 15 minutes.
    Five minutes into the second half, Rudiger levelled the tie with a towering header from a corner and the Blues were in dreamland on 75 minutes when Werner slotted past Thibaut Courtois.
    Benzema hit the bar with a header before Modric's incredible pass with the outside of his right foot was inch-perfect for substitute Rodrygo to volley home from 10 yards.
    That forced extra time and Benzema's winner came six minutes into it.
    For virtually the only time in the game, Vinicius Junior found space in behind full-back Reece James and he drove forward before delivering a cross which the French centre-forward headed beyond Edouard Mendy.
    Even then, Chelsea still had chances with Kai Havertz heading past the near post and Jorginho shooting wide in the closing stages.
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