Real Madrid v Chelsea player ratings: Benzema 8, Kroos 6; Pulisic 8, Kante 9

Blues earn valuable draw in Madrid in Champions League semi-final first leg

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  REAL MADRID RATINGS: Thibaut Courtois – 7. Made a fine point-blank save with his foot to keep out Werner 10 minutes in. Pulisic wandered around him for the goal, but he stood up to everything else. AFP

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  Eder Militao – 8. Made the flick-on that set up Benzema’s equaliser. At the other end, he had a crucial block to thwart Werner at the start of the second half, and later against Ziyech. AP

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  Raphael Varane – 6. Got in the way of a Mount drive that was goalbound in the second half. Upended Havertz to leave Chelsea with a dangerous shooting opportunity. AP

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  Nacho – 6. Caught out for the goal by an incisive through ball from Rudiger, and was unable to make amends thereafter. AP

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  Dani Carvajal – 6. Looked pained when he clashed knees with Chilwell, and was not visibly comfortable in his wing-back role before he was taken off in the second half. Getty

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  Luka Modric – 7. Absent in the first half, but started to assert himself after the break. It was no coincidence that was when the hosts started to purr for the first time. PA

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  Casemiro – 6. Often overrun by the fluent Chelsea forward runners early on, but made a vital contribution for Benzema’s goal. EPA

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  Toni Kroos – 6. Struggled to keep pace with Kante, as shown when he was booked for a foul on the Frenchman. Seemed more keen to run back towards his own goal with the ball than progress the play. AP

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  Marcelo – 6. Lucky not to be punished after his mistake led to an opportunity for Werner at the start if the second half. Booked for a cynical foul on Pulisic. AP

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  Karim Benzema – 8. The one player who railed against the blue tide in the early exchanges. Crashed a drive from distance against a post, then powered in a goal from a corner. Reuters

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  Vinicius Junior – 5. Booked for a lunging challenge on Pulisic as the rain teemed down. Flattered to deceive too often, and made way for Hazard. Getty

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  SUBS: Eden Hazard – 6. Rarely spotted after he was brought on for Vinicius in the second phase, when he would have been itching to impress against his former side. Getty

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  Marco Asencio – NA. Inconspicuous after his second-half introduction. Getty

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  Alvaro Odriozola – NA. Had just enough time to propel himself into the referee’s notebook with a foul on a rampaging Rudiger. Getty

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  Rodrygo – NA. Got himself an appearance fee in injury time at the end of the game. EPA

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  CHELSEA RATINGS: Edouard Mendy – 6. Madrid’s goal was down to his defence failing to clear a cross rather than any error on his part. He was troubled little apart from that. Getty

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  Andreas Christensen – 7. No clean sheet, which is rare under Thomas Tuchel’s stewardship, but their back three was generally solid enough against a celebrity opposition. AFP

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  Thiago Silva – 7. Helped his captain, Azpilicueta, out with an acrobatic clearance in the second half, and provided a calming presence throughout. AFP

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  Antonio Rüdiger – 7. Provided an adept assist as Chelsea took a well-deserved early lead, but was beaten to the header by Militao which set up Benzema’s goal. EPA

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  Cesar Azpilicueta – 6. He and Marcelo mostly cancelled each other out, before he showed signs of cramp and was swapped off for James. Getty

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  N’Golo Kante – 9. Powered his side forward as they dominated the opening throes, and played a brilliant reverse pass to set up Werner just after the interval. AFP

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  Jorginho – 7. Given the celebrated players they were up against, Kante and Jorginho’s dominance of the midfield was commendable. EPA

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  Ben Chilwell – 5. Often out of sorts when well placed high up the field, and showed signs of apprehension when he booted a clearance into touch when under little pressure. PA

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  Christian Pulisic – 8. Deft header set up Werner for an early chance from which he should have scored. Exuded composure when he opened the scoring shortly after. Booked for a foul on Marcelo. Getty

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  Timo Werner - 6. Somehow contrived to shoot at Courtois when a goal should have been his on 10 minutes. Had a good chance in the second, too, before making way for Havertz. EPA

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  Mason Mount – 7. His purposeful run led to the early chance for Werner, and he was prominent in Chelsea’s early excellence. Getty

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  SUBS: Hakim Ziyech – NA. Very perky after his late introduction, and might have had a scoring chance were it not for the sharpness of Militao. Reuters

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  Reece James – NA. Immediately into defensive action with two timely interventions shortly after coming on for Azpilicueta. AP

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  Kai Havertz – NA. Brought on for his compatriot Werner, and did win a free-kick in a promising position in the short time he was given to influence the play. Reuters

Karim Benzema earned Real Madrid a share of the spoils, but Chelsea will take a precious away goal back home after a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final in Madrid.

The London side were good value for a first-half lead, after Christian Pulisic profited from a clever pass from Antonio Rudiger to score the opening goal.

Chelsea should have had a greater cushion given their sharpness in the opening exchanges.

But Madrid hit back when Benzema scored his sixth Champion League goal of the season after a corner.

Player ratings from the match can be seen in the picture gallery above. To view the next image, click on the arrows or swipe if on a mobile device.