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What happens with Real Madrid in these weeks of the first short sleeves is still difficult to explain, and much easier to describe. For example, former Madrid player and Ballon d’Or winner Michael Owen did it last week after the 4-0 loss at the Camp Nou: “April means one thing. Real Madrid is starting to take things seriously”. Against Barça, and also against Chelsea, a broken club that he subdued with formidable solidity. He left the pass to the semifinal very on track, more because of the sensations of the game than because of the score, which could have been wider. But here is Madrid again, accelerating in the European Cup.
2
Courtois, Eder Militao, Alaba, Camavinga (Rüdiger, min. 71), Dani Carvajal, Federico Valverde, Modric (Dani Ceballos, min. 81), Kroos (Aurelien Tchouameni, min. 84), Benzema, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo (Marco Asensio, minute 70)
0
Arrizabalaga, Thiago Silva (Mason Mount, min. 75), Koulibaly (Cucurella, min. 54), Wesley Fofana, Kovacic, Enzo Jeremias Fernandez, Kante (Conor Gallagher, min. 75), Ben Chilwell, Reece James, João Félix ( Trevoh Chalobah, min. 65) and Sterling (Kai Havertz, min. 65)
goals 1-0 min 21: Benzema. 2-0 min.73: Marco Asensio.
Referee Francois Letexier
yellow cards Wesley Fofana (min. 5), Camavinga (min. 7), Eder Militao (min. 83), Dani Carvajal (min. 86) and Kovacic (min. 87)
red cards Ben Chilwell (min. 58)
Chelsea had already been at the Bernabéu on April 12 for a quarterfinal. Last year. Does nothing. Although for the English team it seems like a century. More than 600 million euros later, after having consumed three coaches (Tuchel, Potter and Saltor), and after rescuing Frank Lampard, there is barely a trace of the hot flash of that visit that placed Madrid on the brink of the precipice despite having won 1-3 in London. Another world. The team is now in the Premier closer to relegation than in Europe and went to La Castellana with a simple plan: hold on and run.
And at first it seemed like it might work. Kanté sent João Félix running just after a steal, and the Portuguese found himself with a clear field and only Courtois on the horizon. But Militão regained the advantage and the flash dissipated. That was Chelsea: steal, shoot, run.
Opposite, Madrid looked much more like last year. Without the despair of then, but emitting the same signals of almost absolute certainty. Once the first races behind their backs had subsided, Ancelotti’s team, with the same team that had swept the Camp Nou 0-4 just a week earlier, camped around the Kepa area and began looking for cracks. With patience. Safely. With increasing commitment He was appearing among Fede Valverde, driven by the public after his punch to Baena on Saturday. He sped up and cleaned everything that fell on him.
They also began to meet Rodrygo, Vinicius and Benzema, who tried two harmless first shots. The ball flowed near the area, with the feeling that something was growing. It was Chelsea, which was beginning to evaporate. He held on, but the other part of the plan didn’t work. Madrid stole more and more up the field, and they did it more and more often. Everyone very attentive: Carvajal, Kroos, Modric, Alaba, Militao. Thus the advantage was born. Camavinga herded a ball near the opposite area that immediately reached Carvajal on the other side. From side to side. Dani saw Vini launched through the center of the area, he put it on, and the Brazilian left it behind for Benzema to score. April also includes the month of French: seven days in 12 days. Four in the three qualifying games of this champions.
Madrid, in its winning version of the last champions league. First, a goal between Vinicius and Benzema, and then a stop from Courtois on the limit, from a point-blank shot by Sterling. After the goal and the save, he continued with the demolition work.
Vinicius almost always surpassed Reece James, and was braided very high with Benzema and Vinicius. They braided so much that they ended up getting tangled. Chelsea, accumulated, seemed surrendered, and Madrid did not finish finishing him off. He was around the goal, he dominated the area, he worried the defense, but the marker did not move. Chelsea held on. Even with ten, after Chilwell brought Rodrygo down from within a foot of the box.
Then Ancelotti intervened, defusing some of the overpass rhetoric. He withdrew Rodrygo and brought in Asensio, an unceremonious gunner who holed a missile from the front close to the post that Kepa did not reach in time. He had come for that, and a couple of minutes later he tried again from a little further away: the other stick was brushing against him.
Madrid did not find any more prize, if anything the terminal relief of Rüdiger, on the other side last year, which saved a scare from Mount. The German, who started on the bench, has also joined the flowery April at the Bernabéu.
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