Real Madrid have one foot in Champions League semis after commanding first-leg win over Chelsea

Real Madrid are usually very cautious in European games, but they were on the front foot from the first minute of their game against Chelsea on Wednesday (April 12).

The Blancos looked to kill off the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal tie in the first leg and took the game to Chelsea, aided by a charged Santiago Bernabeu crowd.

The listless Blues failed to come to the party and were largely second-best. Carlo Ancelotti’s side, though, deserves credit for the way they controlled things and piling the pressure on their opponents.

For a side that had lost to Villarreal four days earlier in La Liga, Real Madrid demonstrated strong character and mentality to put Chelsea to the sword and did so while being dominant.

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Real Madrid prove too much for Chelsea

Chelsea have now gone four games without scoring, and their listless performance against Real Madrid was yet another evidence of the wreck the club are in.

The Blues were simply way off it and never really stepped up. While Real Madrid were proactive in their play and sought to make things happen in the final third, Frank Lampard’s side went into the game with a defeatist approach.

They sat back and defended in their half throughout, allowing the hosts to come at them time and time again. Once Karim Benzema put the Blancos ahead, the game was literally over.

Madrid added a second in the second half through Marco Asensio after Ben Chiwell had been sent off, but the result could’ve been worse for Chelsea, who offered close to nothing on the night.

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Ancelotti knows job is not over yet

In a season that has been very disappointing for Chelsea, the Champions League is the only remaining competition the Blues are in contention for.

However, they’ve fluffed that too after losing 2-0 to Real Madrid in the first leg of their quarterfinal clash. The result all but confirms Chelsea’s exit, while Real Madrid have one foot in the last four.

Meanwhile, an ecstatic Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti knows that the tie is not over yet, as quoted by Realmadrid.com:

"We played a very well-rounded game. We suffered somewhat at the beginning but the objective was to get ahead and that's what we did. We'll have to suffer there because Chelsea have a very good team, with very good players, and we have another 90 minutes to endure. We are satisfied with the result and the performance.”

The Italian continued:

"I have a lot of energy. The team looked very good, and I'm very happy. I'm very pleased, but we have to be calm and collected because there are 90 minutes left to play, and anything can happen in football. We have to manage our lead there and try to repeat the game we played today."

There is another 90 minutes to be played at Stamford Bridge, but based on how Chelsea played at the Bernabeu, they stand little chance of overturning the tie. Madrid are simply the better side and their commanding first-leg advantage makes them overwhelming favourites to reach the semifinals.