Chelsea vs. Real Madrid results, highlights & analysis: Benzema masterclass leaves holders on the brink

Dom Farrell

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Chelsea vs. Real Madrid results, highlights & analysis: Benzema masterclass leaves holders on the brink image

Karim Benzema sensationally made it back-to-back Champions League hat-tricks as Real Madrid won 3-1 at Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

Benzema’s treble saw Madrid remarkably defeat Paris Saint-Germain in the previous round and he was back at his brilliant best at Stamford Bridge.

The 34-year-old applied the perfect combination of power and direction to Vinicius Junior’s cross to beat Edouard Mendy in the 21st minute, before ghosting between Thiago Silva and Andreas Christensen to deftly guide Luka Modric’s centre into the corner.

Kai Havertz converted Jorginho’s cross five minutes before half-time to reduce the arrears but a dreadful Mendy error within a minute of the restart left Benzema with a simple job to claim the matchball. Chelsea were the better side from that point but were unable to reduce the deficit, with substitute Romelu Lukaku particularly culpable.

MORE: What is Thomas Tuchel's record against Real Madrid and how many trophies has the Chelsea boss won?

Vinicius served an early warning of Madrid’s intentions. Benzema was inevitably involved, backheeling to Federico Valverde who recycled possession for the Brazil winger to cut inside Christensen and clatter the crossbar.

Christensen was eventually substituted at half-time after enduring a torrid time and Vinicius darted away from him onto a Benzema pass to create the opener.

Benzema still had lots to do but somehow planted a head high into the net from 16 yards. When Modric found him in the 24th minute, he did not need to apply any power at all and cushioned the ball back the way it came into the corner.

Havertz’s own header wasn’t quite of that calibre but it was a fine effort nonetheless, bursting past Thibaut Courtois’ best efforts.

Thomas Tuchel sent on Hakim Ziyech and Mateo Kovacic at half-time but within a minute of the restart, Mendy had gifted Benzema his third by leaving his goal and selling Antonio Rudiger short with a pass.

To their credit, Chelsea did not collapse and Lukaku came on for Christian Pulisic to spurn a glorious headed opportunity when unmarked at the back post in the 69th minute. The Belgium international teed up Ziyech to blaze over as Madrid wound the clock down.

Benzema underlines claim for being best number nine in the world

At this stage we’re running out of superlatives for a man who, at 34, is playing the best football of an already phenomenal career. His three goals at Stamford Bridge came from four attempts (he’ll be kicking himself about the one that got away). When his second goal went in he was on an implausible run of five goals in 52 Champions League minutes.

Benzema then became the fourth player after Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Luiz Adriano to score back-to-back hat-tricks in Europe’s top competition. Robert Lewandowski and Erling Haaland make compelling cases, but is there any number nine in world football who you would rather have in your team right now?

Valverde justifies Ancelotti’s big decision

As Madrid cut through Chelsea during the opening stages, it felt like a trick of the mind to consider their starting XI looked relatively defensive. Marco Asensio made way for Valverde and the Uruguay international’s brief was to tuck in on the right and bolster the famed midfield three of Casemiro, Modric and Toni Kroos, while also supporting Benzema and Vinicius in attack.

He turned in a tireless performance. His 12 duels contested were more than any other Madrid player and no team-mate bettered his three tackles. If Madrid get past Chelsea and move towards a 14th European title, Valverde must now be considered part of Carlo Ancelotti's plan A.
 

Chelsea vs. Real Madrid final score

  1H 2H Final
CHE 1 0 1
RMA 2 1 3

Goals: Benzema (Vinicius) — 21st min.

Benzema (Modric) — 24th min.

Havertz (Jorginho) — 40th min.

Benzema — 46th min.

Chelsea vs. Real Madrid highlights and commentary

Full-time - Chelsea are unable to reduce the deficit and the defending champions have a mountain to climb in Madrid. To have any chance you'd think they have to stop Benzema scoring again and that looks next to impossible nowadays. The France striker's two first-half headers were two of the most exquisite finishes you will ever see. It's been a very happy return to Stamford Bridge for Carlo Ancelotti. 

93rd minute: That was the chance! Lukaku holds up play smartly and lays it off to Ziyech but the former Ajax man tries to hit it to hard and blazes over the bar on his unusually eloquent left foot.

90th minute: Rudiger chips one towards Lukaku and Casemiro sees it behind. Five minutes of stoppage time coming up and they're huge. A Chelsea goal would change the complexion of the tie considerably.

88th minute: The galling thing for Tuchel here is that his switch to 4-3-3 has resulted in Chelsea being the better side in the second half, with James stifling the previously unchecked Vinicius. They've controlled the action and had more chances, but Mendy's clanger preceded all that.

86th minute: Madrid are taking the sting out of this and that extends to a double substitution. Benzema departs to conclude a masterclass, with the lesser-spotted Bale coming on for Los Blancos. Valverde has also been magnificent and makes way for Ceballos.

83rd minute: Good save from Courtois! James lets fly with a thumping low effort but the ex-Chelsea goalkeeper gets down well and Nacho is again on hand to do the dirty work by hacking clear.

81st minute: The ball breaks to Mount in the Madrid area but Nacho flings himself at the shot to block.

79th minute: An increasingly rare Madrid counter attack comes to nothing and Chelsea are back on the front foot. Havertz spins into space on the edge of the box but his shot is too close to Courtois.

74th minute: Chelsea are very much in the ascendency now and Ancelotti acts, bringing on Camavinga to replace Kroos and add some legs to the midfield.

71st minute: Further Chelsea attempts as Mount curls off target from range before Silva can't get his feet sorted out on the end of a Ziyech corner. The ball bounces off his knee and trickles wide.

69th minute: AN AWFUL MISS FROM LUKAKU!  Dear, oh dear. Azpilicueta finds Lukaku this time and the big Belgian heads wide from close range at the back post while unmarked. It's a dreadful effort in any circumstances but given the scoreline and how Benzema put Madrid in the ascendency, it really is a horror miss.

67th minute: Lukaku is on for Pulisic and has a half chance on the end of James' cross. He misjudges the header though and it skews harmlessly wide.

59th minute: It's impossible to tell whether Pulisic meant to shoot or cross then, which isn't a level of ambiguity Chelsea can afford to be operating at. Courtois claims easily.

54th minute: It really is handy for Chelsea that the away goals rule is no more. They'd be absolutely done here otherwise.

49th minute: It feels like Chelsea need something special now and they almost got it, with Azpilicueta unleashing a rasping strike that Courtois pushes behind.

46th minute: GOAL!!!!! Benzema!!!! A hat-trick and a howler.

Mendy comes out of his area to retrieve a long ball and sells Rudiger short with a weak pass. Benzema steals in to roll the ball into an unguarded net and make it back-to-back Champions League hat-tricks.

46th minute: Two substitutions and a change of shape for Chelsea, with Kovacic and Ziyech replacing Kante and the bereft Christensen. But, oh my...

Halftime: Remember when I said it might be cagey before kick-off? Well...

Benzema continued his phenomenal recent form to leave Chelsea on the ropes and battered, but Havertz hit back. Before all that, Vinicius hit the crossbar. It's been a thriller. Catch your breath and catch us back here in 15 minutes.

42nd minute: HUGE CHANCE FOR BENZEMA! Vinicius shreds Chelsea to bits again down the right and the ball breaks to Benzema. It's his most straightforward chance of the night so far, the crowd wait for the net to bulge and he side-foots wide!

40th minute: GOAL!!!!! Havertz!!!! Game on!

Chelsea's final hero from last season comes up with another huge goal. To continue a theme, there's a wonderful cross and a fine header. Jorginho was the provider and Havertz found enough space to divert the ball beyond Courtois' best efforts.

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39th minute: Casemiro cleared James' cross behind with Kante lurking. Thiago Silva does a Benzema impression with an inventive header of his own but it sails over the bar.

37th minute: Chelsea finally getting some time to breathe after a frantic period that has left their trophy defence in tatters. Benzema's second tonight made it five goals in 52 Champions League minutes from him. Ridiculous behaviour.

33rd minute: Good grief, Chelsea are all over the place. Again, Madrid slice through their midfield. Right-back Carvajal is up in the opposition penalty area, something that persuades Rudiger to toe the ball towards his own goal. Christensen is on hand to hack clear.

30th minute: Militao is left unmarked at a Kroos corner but heads straight at Mendy. That could have been that.

26th minute: Chelsea have a mountain to climb and Mount's first stab at tackling this is to take a tumble in the penalty area under some attention from Casemiro. Referee Turpin is not interested.

24th minute: GOAL!!!!! Benzema!!!! And another!

Strikers scoring headers sounds fairly routine but, once again, Benzema has produced something sublime. He had to apply some power to Vinicius's cross, but this one was all about finesse as he again left Mendy helpless from a Modric delivery.

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21st minute: GOAL!!!!! Benzema!!!! Who else?

That's a wonderful goal. It's already clear Christensen has a huge problem with Vinicius' pace and the Madrid winger got away down the left. He clipped a cute cross towards Benzema, but the France striker still had plenty to do. He did it impeccably, guiding a brilliant header into the top corner.

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19th minute: 35-yard shot, booked now off the field after having some magic spray on his calf. Militao having an eventful evening thus far. Rudiger joins him in Clement Turpin's book for a cynical foul on Valverde. There's a joke about masks to be made there, but I'll leave you to join the dots.

14th minute: Militao brings Havertz down on the left-hand edge of the penalty area. He's booked and will miss the return leg. The angle is against James but he draws a sharp save from Courtois with a dipping strike.

11th minute: Chelsea regain their poise and win a corner but Mount can't beat the first man.

10th minute: VINICIUS HITS THE BAR! Madrid show how lethal they can be on the break. Benzema centrally involved, with a delicious backheel to Valverde, who finds the Brazil winger. Vinicius cut inside and thumps a venomous strike against the crossbar.

5th minute: At the other end, Havertz gets somewhat closer to goal, his penetrating run disorganising the Madrid backline but Alaba gets back to block.

4th minute: A routine first piece of action for Edouard Mendy from Militao's very ambitious 35-yard effort.

1st minute: Mount picks up where he left off against Madrid and hares down their left flank inside the first 30 seconds. A dangerous cross is tidied up by Carvajal with Havertz in close attendance.

2 minutes to kick-off: The teams are out, the atmosphere is cracking and it's absolutely throwing it down in London. Champions League anthem done and we're ready for lift-off.

10 minutes to kick-off: Tuchel has just been on the BT Sport broadcast in the UK speaking warmly of Reece James. The England wing-back is a sublime talent and has endured a frustratingly stop-start campaign. Chelsea are a different animal with him in the side and it's worth wondering whether the Premier League title race might look different had Tuchel had Ben Chilwell and James at his disposal all season.

30 minutes to kick-off: These are arguably two wounded teams. Chelsea were stunned 4-1 at home to neighbours Brentford at the weekend, while Madrid are still smarting from a humiliating 4-0 Clasico defeat to Barcelona before the March international break. Perhaps these results will lead to a cagey approach from both initially.

45 minutes to kick-off: The big talking point around the Madrid line-up is Valverde coming in to add legs to the great Modric-Casemiro-Kroos combination in midfield. It leaves Benzema with an even greater burden in attack, but he has pretty big shoulders for that sort of thing. Perhaps Tuchel's pre-match admiration for the Frenchman was in part inspired by his desire for a reliable, elite striker of his own. Once again, Romelu Lukaku is on the Chelsea bench.

1 hour 5 minutes to kick-off: And this is how Chelsea line-up in their trusty 3-4-3. Mount and Pulisic hoping for more of the same against Madrid as they flank last season's final match-winner Havertz in attack.

1 hour 10 minutes to kick-off: Here's the Madrid line-up, with Dani Carvajal and Federico Valverde replacing Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio from the weekend win over Celta Vigo.

1 hour 20 minutes to kick-off: Tuchel has no doubt over where Madrid's main threat lies tonight: “I gave all the praise to Karim Benzema. I said two years ago he was one of the most underrated players in world football, maybe not anymore. He deserves the praise for playing for so many years for Real Madrid. What he did to overcome the last stage for them, to carry responsibility. What a key part he plays for them as a captain now is very impressive. You can see what happens with the team in his absence. For sure a standout player and personality." 

1 hour 40 minutes to kick-off: So will it be repeat or revenge? Chelsea were deserved winners 3-1 on aggregate when these two met in the quarter-finals last time around. Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic excelled. Timo Werner scored from on the goal-line! Tuchel's men are favourites to do the job again but, as their incredible comeback against Paris Saint-Germain in the previous round showed, you can never write off Real Madrid in this competition.

2 hours from kickoff: Welcome to Sporting News' live coverage of Chelsea vs. Real Madrid

MORE: Where is the Champions League final played this year?

How to watch Chelsea vs. Real Madrid

  UK USA Canada Australia
Date April 6 April 6 April 6 April 7
Time 20:00 GMT 15:00 ET 15:00 ET 05:00 AET
TV channel BT Sport 2 CBS, Univision, TUDN — —
Streaming BT Sport fuboTV, Paramount+ DAZN Stan Sport

UK: The match will be carried by BT Sport 2 in the UK and streamed on the broadcaster's online platforms.

USA: In the USA, the match will air nationally on CBS (English) and Univision and TUDN (Spanish) with all three channels available to stream on fuboTV, which also offers a free trial to new subscribers.

Canada: In Canada, every Champions League game streams live on DAZN. 

Australia: The match can be seen on Stan Sport, which carries every UEFA Champions League match.

Dom Farrell

Dom Farrell Photo

Dom is the senior content producer for Sporting News UK. He previously worked as fan brands editor for Manchester City at Reach Plc. Prior to that, he built more than a decade of experience in the sports journalism industry, primarily for the Stats Perform and Press Association news agencies. Dom has covered major football events on location, including the entirety of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Paris and St Petersburg respectively, along with numerous high-profile Premier League, Champions League and England international matches. Cricket and boxing are his other major sporting passions and he has covered the likes of Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennadiy Golovkin and Vasyl Lomachenko live from ringside.