Antonio Rudiger stood with head in hands, looking at the celebrating Real Madrid fans and players in the Bernabeu. An epic Champions League tie had revolved around plenty of players, but him more than most. He had scored Chelsea’s second goal of an improbably superb comeback in Spain, but lost his footing when Karim Benzema delivered the ultimately decisive goal.
Rudiger had been arguably the outstanding defender of the Champions League’s knockout stages last season, when Chelsea conceded just two goals, one of them so late to be irrelevant.
Now Real scored five in 210 minutes: two from mistakes – the most grievous Edouard Mendy’s underhit pass, aimed for Rudiger, when Benzema completed his first-leg hat-trick at Stamford Bridge – but three from brilliance.
The genius of Luka Modric, with his wonderful, outside-of-the-boot pass for Rodrygo, just when Chelsea seemed to have completed one of the greatest recoveries in European Cup history, was transformative.
So was Benzema, with four goals over the two legs. And if there is something timeless about Real’s ability to conjure results in Europe, the same might be said about their two talismen, with a combined age in their seventies.
Perhaps they underlined a difference. Modric and Benzema rank among the top half-dozen players on the planet; there is a case for anointing the Frenchman the best right now. Chelsea have no such counterpart, no genuine Galactico. Instead, they relied on formidable organisation and teamwork.
They conquered the continent last season with a formula based on frugality, a low-scoring team with no Benzema equivalent. Romelu Lukaku was supposed to provide such a potent finisher but he missed chances in the first leg and missed the second leg. It summed up his Chelsea career.
Real Madrid v Chelsea ratings
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REAL MADRID RATINGS: Thibaut Courtois 7. Couldn’t be blamed for Chelsea’s first goal. Or the second, both towering headers. Unlucky on the third. Fine save from a powerful Ziyech shot on 114 minutes. EPA -
Dani Carvajal 7. The ball deflected off the full-back onto Alonso’s hand – invalidating what Chelsea thought was a third goal. Was moved to central defence late on as Nacho was injured. More touches than any Madrid player. Action Images -
Nacho 7. Havertz slid into him on 38 minutes, prompting fury among home fans, especially as he wasn’t booked. Went off injured. AP -
David Alaba 7. The only Madrid player in his usual position for the game. Went to press and ended up out of position before the first goal. EPA -
Ferland Mendy 5. Poor and uneasy against the European and world champions. Reuters -
Luka Modric 9. Neat one-two with Benzema in a rare spell of fruitful first-half possession. Stopped a dangerous 46th minute Chelsea attack and became his side’s key force in the second half. His assist for Madrid’s first, game-saving goal on 80 minutes was perfection. EPA -
Casemiro 7. Just couldn’t get his usual traction as Chelsea dominated in waves. “This team lives for winning impossible games,” he said after. EPA -
Toni Kroos 6. Fouled the speeding Werner to concede a 35th minute free-kick. Didn’t have the same influence as in the previous round at home to PSG and was the first Madrid player off. AFP -
Federico Valverde 7. Outclassed by better opponents, then shot over on 62 minutes as Madrid tried to get a foothold. Cleared a 70th minute free-kick and got better and better in the second half. AP -
Karim Benzema 8. Man of the moment, he hit a 10th minute free-kick over, then saw a volley deflected over on 22 minutes. Booked after catching Silva with a high boot. Mis-hit a 53rd minute shot when he really needed to have an influence on the game. Headed against the bar on 65 and looked floored. Then he got the tie-clinching goal. Action Images -
Vinicius Jr 7. Madrid’s best player in the first half. Turned quickly past James to win a 9th minute free-kick. Won a 50/50 with Loftus-Cheek just before half time – to the fury of Tuchel. Lost possession which led to what Chelsea thought was their third goal – the one disallowed by VAR. Then set up Madrid’s second. EPA -
SUBS: Eduardo Camavinga 8. On for Kroos 72. Played in Rodrygo for the second and was all over the pitch. Getty -
Marcelo 7. On for Mendy on 72. Intercepted the ball from Kante to start the build up for Madrid’s opener. Reuters -
Rodrygo 8. On for Marcelo on 78 and what an impact. Finished Modric’s exquisite pass to give Madrid hope. EPA -
Luca Vasquez 7. On for Nacho on 87. Getty -
Dani Ceballos NA. on for Vinicius on 115 to try and help see the game out. Getty Images -
CHELSEA RATINGS: Edouard Mendy 7 - Produced a save for the cameras from Toni Kroos’ free-kick 10 minutes after half-time. The Senegalese stopper couldn’t do anything about the goals. AFP -
Reece James 8 - Booked in the 10th minute after getting squared up by Vinicius on the edge of the box, but defended solidly afterwards and didn’t give the Brazilian winger any joy. Managed to get a vital toe just as Benzema was ready to pull the trigger. Good delivery from wide areas. Getty -
Thiago Silva 8 - Should have got closer to stop Vinicius’s cross for Benzema’s winner, but defended well for most of the game and showed his experience to read the play on numerous occasions. EPA -
Antonio Rudiger 9 - The big defender opened his European account with a towering header from an outswinging corner in the 50th minute. What tackle on the edge of his own box as Kroos slid in Vinicius. Gave everything he had. EPA -
Marcos Alonso 7 - Rattled what he thought was Chelsea’s third goal right footed into the top corner only for VAR to cancel it out when the ball was judged to have touched his hand. Getty -
Ruben Loftus-Cheek 7 - Kept it simple and worked well with James down the right. Quiet in terms of chances created, but a solid display in the Chelsea engine room. Getty -
N’Golo Kante 7 - A magnet for second balls, the skipper was his usual industrious self. Lost possession in vital areas a couple of times, but moved the ball well on the whole and made some good interceptions. Getty -
Mateo Kovacic 9 - Energy, drive, determination and quality in possession. The Croatian was the catalyst for most of Chelsea’s good work. A sublime through ball for Werner’s goal only bettered by Modric’s outside of the boot pass to set up Real Madrid’s equaliser. EPA -
Mason Mount 8 - Curled a lovely side foot finish past Courtois after Chelsea quickened the tempo of their play around the edge of the Madrid box. A high energy performance from the English international. EPA -
Kai Havertz 8 - Linked very well with Werner and Mount and didn’t stop running. The Chelsea striker’s movement and aerial threat at set pieces caused Madrid problems all night. Should’ve at least hit the target in the dying minutes when James whipped a cross on to his head at the near post. EPA -
Timo Werner 8 - The German speedster sent Casemiro sliding as he cut back on to his right foot after latching onto Kovacic’s perfectly weighted pass. A second touch inside sat another Madrid defender down before he finished into the far corner via a deflection to put Chelsea into the lead on the night. Getty -
SUBS: Christian Pulisic (Werner, 83) 5 - The US talisman had two chances to win the game in injury time as he latched onto headers from set pieces. He could only partially connect with his left shin from Rudiger’s knock on and then it was a right foot side foot volley over the bar when Havertz nodded down a second set piece right at the end of normal time. Getty -
Hakim Ziyech (Kante, 100) N/A - Had a left foot strike saved from the angle when he might have picked someone out in the box. Reuters -
Saul Niguez (Loftus-Cheek, 106) N/A - On for the last 15 minutes, drifted a nothing ball out for a goal kick as Chelsea pressed for a goal. Jorginho (Kovacic, 106) N/A - Had a glorious chance to take the game to penalties, but he snatched at the ball as it landed at his feet following a shot from Ziyech . Getty
Briefly, it instead appeared that Thomas Tuchel would be the match-winner. He had deemed Chelsea’s task “almost impossible” but for five minutes they had an aggregate lead.
He had reunited the attacking trio from last season’s final. Mason Mount’s brilliant opening goal meant he had scored against Real in successive seasons; when Rudiger struck from his corner, he took his tally for the campaign to 11 goals and 13 assists this season. Timo Werner’s personal renaissance was capped with what briefly looked the decider.
“When I scored my goal, I thought we were through,” the German said. “Nearly a perfect performance from us.”
There seemed something Tuchel-esque, too, when it seemed as though Marcos Alonso had scored a third for Chelsea minutes earlier. Tuchel has prospered by making wing-backs prolific.
And yet this was a rare occasion when Chelsea looked better with a back four, Tuchel outwitting Carlo Ancelotti with his lopsided midfield diamond. If the first leg represented a rare occasion when Tuchel sent out the wrong team, the second offered proof of his alchemy.
He came in for praise from a distinguished observer. “Whatever happens, Chelsea are blessed with Thomas Tuchel,” tweeted Cesc Fabregas, the former Chelsea midfielder. “What a manager.”
And Chelsea are shrouded in uncertainty about what will happen. Tuchel has only committed to remain for the rest of the season. Any prospective buyer would be advised to keep him.
Yet some change feels inevitable as Chelsea languish in limbo. Andreas Christensen and Rudiger could both depart in the summer. Rudiger was magnificent – “a world-class performance in all belongings,” said Tuchel – and while his devastation at the final whistle was evident, the out-of-contract centre-back might be found at the Bernabeu more permanently next season.
Chelsea now know they will not retain their European crown. They could be facing the break-up of a Champions League-winning side.
