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Late drama as brave Chelsea fall to Real Madrid in extra time, Bayern stunned by Villareal

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12th April, 2022
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Real Madrid saw off a stirring Chelsea fightback to book their place in the Champions League semi-finals following a 3-2 defeat after extra time in a scintillating second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, advancing 5-4 on aggregate.

Chelsea looked on course to complete an astonishing comeback after taking a 3-0 lead in their quarter-final second leg with goals from Mason Mount, Antonio Rudiger and an excellent individual effort from Timo Werner.

Yet the hosts came roaring back, with Rodrygo finishing from a superb pass by Luka Modric to level the tie 4-4 on aggregate and force extra time when Karim Benzema headed home to decide a remarkable encounter

Real Madrid will now face either Manchester City or local rivals Atletico Madrid in the last four, with the English side taking a 1-0 lead into their quarter-final second leg in Spain on Wednesday.

It was a Champions League night for the ages at a packed stadium as a brilliant Chelsea came within 10 minutes of completing a rescue act that their manager Thomas Tuchel had said they were unlikely to accomplish.

His team took the game to Real Madrid as they looked to turn around a two-goal deficit from the first leg and it took only 15 minutes for Mount to open the scoring from a through ball behind the defence.

Chelsea were even more aggressive after the break and scored their second in the 51st minute when Rudiger guided home a header from a Werner corner to level the tie 3-3 on aggregate.

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Four minutes later, Werner found Marcos Alonso inside the area and he thrashed his finish into the top corner only to see his effort chalked off by the video assistant referee who had spotted a handball from the Spanish left back.

With the visitors on top, however, it was only a matter of time until they scored their third which arrived in the 75th minute from a brilliant piece of individual skill from Werner, who left two opponents on the ground before dispatching a precise shot past Courtois and inside the far post.

In the very next move, Kai Havertz was denied by former Chelsea keeper Courtois, who made a magnificent save to stop his close-range header.

Yet just when Real looked completely out of the game, Modric worked his magic, finding substitute Rodrygo at the far post with a delightful pass with the outside of his boot that the Brazilian volleyed past Edouard Mendy in the 80th to take the game to extra time.

That was the cue for Vinicius Jr and Benzema to show up and rescue Real Madrid from what would have been one of the biggest shocks they had ever suffered at home.

Vinicius worked his way inside from the left corner, and sent a lovely cross onto Benzema’s head, and the Frenchman bulleted it past Mendy as the ecstatic home fans exploded with joy.

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“It was another incredible night, what a sweet tasting loss,” Modric said.

“We didn’t give up until the end. Despite going 0-3, I don’t think we played a bad game. Another night of suffering, but the important thing is that we have qualified.” 

Meanwhile Villarreal stunned six-time European champion Bayern Munich to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in 16 years thanks to Samuel Chukwueze’s 88th-minute goal that salvaged a 1-1 draw and a 2-1 aggregate victory.

Villarreal’s 1-0 lead from the first leg was wiped out by Robert Lewandowski seven minutes into the second half in Munich on Tuesday night, but Chukwueze completed a counterattack within four minutes of coming off the bench to extend the Spanish team’s surprising run in the competition.

“They made the mistake today of not killing us off and we took advantage of that,” Villarreal striker Gerard Moreno said. “What this team has done is great.”

Especially given the disparities in size and status. The entire population of the southeastern Spanish city of Villarreal — 50,000 — could fit into Bayern’s 75,000-capacity stadium.

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And while Bayern lifted the European Cup in 2020, the furthest Villarreal has reached in the competition is the semi-finals in 2006.

“If you take just this game into account, without the first game, we should have gone through convincingly,” Bayern forward Thomas Müller said. “It’s difficult to accept this; I don’t know what to say.”

But the same resolve that saw Villarreal beat Manchester United in the 2021 Europa League final has now seen Unai Emery’s side oust both Juventus and Bayern in the knockout phase of the Champions League.

There could be another six-time champion to eliminate to a reach a first Champions League final. Liverpool or Benfica awaits in the semi-finals, with the English club holding a 3-1 lead over the Portuguese side heading into Wednesday’s second leg at Anfield.

Even when Lewandowski leveled the quarterfinal on aggregate — with a low shot after being set up by Müller — there was a good reason not to write off Villarreal.

Excluding his time at Paris Saint-Germain from 2016-18, Emery has won 22 consecutive two-leg knockout encounters in Europe since 2015 — with Sevilla, Arsenal and Villarreal.

The decisive moment in Bavaria came when Dani Parejo gained possession by the Villarreal penalty area and then launched the breakaway by sending the ball to Giovani Lo Celso.

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Lo Celso then slid a pass across the face of goal and Chukwueze struck into the top corner of the net.

Villarreal was delirious and held out for the memorable win.

“We knew we were going to suffer in defence but we were going to have our chances,” Moreno said. “And, in the end, Chukwueze was able to make the most of it. We want to thank those who came here tonight and those who are in Villarreal. It’s great to be a Villarreal fan, and you have to enjoy nights like this.”

© AAP

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