MADRID — There is no preferred way to surrender your Champions League crown, but nothing could come much closer than this.
Asked on the eve of Tuesday’s game how champions bow out of a competition if it has to be their time, Chelsea head coach Thomas Tuchel replied: “By not accepting it before it ends. By leaving everything on the pitch that we have and by showing we can work harder, play better, that we know we can take more risks and that we show our true face and live up to our full potential.”
They did just that. The Blues’ title defence ended at the quarterfinal stage, forcing extra-time here in the Bernabeu Stadium and winning 3-2 on the night but losing 5-4 on aggregate.
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Chelsea indeed lived up to their full potential and showed precisely what they are: Herculean in spirit, heroically defiant in the face of adversity, cleverly deployed by one of the game’s elite coaches but ultimately flawed in the final third.
The difference across the 210 minutes was finishing. Karim Benzema’s 96th-minute header was the final goal in an enthralling, breathless night here at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, his fourth of Real’s five across the tie. The 34-year-old hit the crossbar with an earlier effort and just four shots all night, yet he was on hand to deliver what proved to be the knockout blow. His individual xG was 0.58, lower than Kai Havertz (0.77) and Christian Pulisic, who only played the final 37 minutes but missed two glorious chances to explain his xG of 0.61.
Benzema’s clinical touch and a truly magnificent assist from Luka Modric were the moments of efficiency Chelsea lacked.
“We are very disappointed and very proud at the same time,” said Tuchel. “We got beaten by pure individual quality and offensive conversion after our mistakes.
“They did not create a lot at Stamford Bridge, but they took every half chance and converted it. This was enough. You have to reduce your amount of mistakes, and we could not reduce it to an absolute minimum over the two legs.
“I…
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