Real Madrid laughed from the first game with an overwhelming appearance.
Real Madrid won 2-0 in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the European Champions League (UCL) in the 2022-2023 season against Chelsea at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid, Spain at 4:00 am (Korean time) on the 13th. With this victory, Real Madrid secured a bridgehead in favor of advancing to the quarter-finals. Real Madrid will advance to the semifinals of the UCL for the third consecutive season if they lose by only one goal in the second leg. Real Madrid won the Champions League last season. On the other hand, Chelsea couldn’t avoid a complete defeat in thirteen numbers.
Real Madrid came out with a 4-3-3 model. Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois guarded the goal, and Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, and Eduardo Camavinga formed a four-back. Federico Valverde, Toni Kroos, and Luca Modric formed the midfield, and Rodrygo, Karim Benzema, and Vinicius Junior formed the three-top. Chelsea faced off with a 3-5-2. Kepa Arrizabala wore goalkeeper gloves, and Wesley Popana, Thiago Silva and Kalidou Koulibaly made up the three-back. Rhys James, N’Golo Kante, Enzo Fernandez, Mateo Kovacic, and Ben Chilwell made the back, and Raheem Sterling and Joao Felix came out as two tops.
At the beginning of the first half, Chelsea came out aggressively.메이저놀이터 In the 2nd minute of the first half, Felix broke through the defense and fired a sharp shot that was blocked by goalkeeper Courtois. Real Madrid also fought hard. In the 13th minute of the first half, Karim Benzema’s shot was saved by Arisabala. Real Madrid created chances by attacking the space behind the opposing wing-backs. In the end, he scored the opening goal. In the 21st minute of the first half, right after Vinicius’ shot hit the goalkeeper and spilled out, veteran Benzema, who played his 149th UCL match that day, pushed the second ball in without missing it. A minute later, Chelsea’s sharp low cross was kicked by Sterling. Courtois threw herself again to block it. Real showed an overwhelming offensive by attempting as many as 5 shots on target until the 36th minute of the first half, but the first half ended without any additional goals. The first half ended 1-0.
Real Madrid continued to attack the space behind Chelsea in the second half. Chelsea have had bad luck. In the 8th minute of the second half, centerback Coulibaly withdrew after complaining of knee pain while blocking Vinicius, and Marc Cucurella was put in. The bad news continued. In the 13th minute of the second half, Real Madrid’s free kick situation, Chilwell, who was blocking Rodrygo rushing into the box, blocked it with a deliberate foul. The referee issued a red card for denying an obvious scoring opportunity. This moment became the deciding factor in the match.
The tense flow collapsed, and Real Madrid did not miss the opportunity. In the 29th minute of the second half, in a set piece situation, Asensio, assisted by Vinicius, shook the net with his left foot. Real Madrid took 56% of the possession, and with 9 shots on target, 9 shots on target, far ahead of Chelsea, who had only 3 shots on target out of 4 shots. The 10-man Chelsea did their best until the last moment, but it was not enough. Real Madrid continued to attack until the end and eventually won 2-0.
With this victory, coach Ancelotti led Real Madrid and recorded his 35th personal win on the UCL stage, becoming the protagonist of the UCL record for most wins among all Real Madrid coaches. Previously, coach Ancelotti was tied for first place with 34 wins alongside coach Del Bosque, the most wins in the UCL of all time Real Madrid coach. Coach Ancelotti was first appointed to the Real Madrid command tower in June 2013, and held the helm for about two years until May 2015, recording a total of 89 wins, 14 draws and 16 losses (74.79% win rate). During this period, UCL recorded 19 wins, 3 draws and 3 losses, including one championship (2013-2014 season).
“For me, Valverde was the best player on the pitch,” Ancelotti said at the post-match press conference. “It’s not over yet. We have one game left. We have to be prepared. Next week, Chelsea will try to give everything,” he said, emphasizing the importance of the second leg.
After the game, coach Lampard said, “I’m proud of the 10 players. The disappointing thing is that they conceded the second goal from a set piece in the second half.” “We had good chances early in the game with João Felice, Raheem Sterling and Mason Mount, but we couldn’t finish it. There were some good shots, but the result is real,” he admitted. “You have to believe that something special will happen at Stamford Bridge. Our players know how good they are and how well they can do it,” he said, instilling hope and confidence in the players.
The quarter-finals and second-finals between Real Madrid and Chelsea, which will determine the fate of the European Champions League semifinals, will be held at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea at 4:00 am on the 19th.