Real Madrid claim a place in the last four of the Champions League by finishing off Chelsea

Chelsea fell to a 4-0 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid as the Spaniards clinched a spot in the last four of the Champions League.

Real Madrid travelled to Stamford Bridge this evening, Tuesday, April 18, with a two-goal cushion from last week’s Champions League quarter-final first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Any hopes that Chelsea might have had of salvaging anything from the tie were destroyed by a double from Rodrygo.

A 4-0 aggregate victory for the Spanish champions places them into the last four of Europe’s top club competition once again. Frank Lampard’s side however must deal with what has become a very miserable season where they look highly unlikely to climb into a league position that will bring even Europa League football next season.

Starting a match with a two-goal deficit is difficult against any team, but when the opposition happens to be Carlo Ancelotti’s men then the task is even harder. The Italian coach is chasing a historic fifth win in this tournament.

Having said that, if only Chelsea could have capitalised on the opportunities presented to them, the result could have been very different.

French midfield star N’Golo Kante failed to make the most of a wonderful chance in the first half. Thibaut Courtois, the former Chelsea goalkeeper played a huge role in keeping Los Blancos in control of the tie. A superb save from Marc Cucurella made sure that the score stayed the same.

Vinicius Junior broke the deadlock on the night as he released Rodrygo in the 58th minute. The Brazilian prodded the ball home from close range and then it really was all over for Chelsea. With just 10 minutes left on the clock, Federico Valverde unselfishly teed up Rodrygo for a simple finish to make it 2-0 on the night.

Real Madrid must now await the outcome of tomorrow night’s clash at the Allianz Stadium between Bayern Munich and Manchester City to find out their next opponents. With a 3-0 lead from the Etihad, the odds are stacked in favour of Pep Guardiola’s men to reach another European semi-final.