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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.