Updated April 28th, 2021 at 09:37 IST
Champions League result and highlights: Chelsea bag vital away goal, clinch draw in Madrid
Champions League result and highlights: Chelsea clinched advantage with a crucial away goal via Pulisic, despite Karim Benzema's acrobatic equalisier.
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Chelsea remains on course to repeat their heroics from 2012 as they earned a heroic 1-1 draw against Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League on Tuesday (Wednesday IST). The Blues now hold the advantage in the tie considering their crucial away goal, as Thomas Tuchel's side were superior on the night. Here's a look at the Champions League highlights and what is in store for the Chelsea vs Real Madrid second leg.
Real Madrid vs Chelsea highlights: Karim Benzema rescues Los Blancos, as Blues clinch vital away goal
Thomas Tuchel continued his impressive reign as Chelsea boss and had a Champions League result to savour on Tuesday as his side clinched a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid. The German tactician, who took over from Frank Lampard mid-season, has overseen a revival in fortunes for the Premier League giants, and their performance at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano was one of quality and discipline. Chelsea started brilliantly, forcing Real Madrid goalie Thibaut Courtois to make an epic save before forward Christian Pulisic ran rounds around the Los Blancos defence to open the scoring.
🇺🇸 Christian Pulišić becomes the first American to score in a Champions League semi-final 🔝#UCL pic.twitter.com/eazskfgoUD
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 27, 2021
Such was the visitors' dominance in the early stages that they would be ruing their missed chances, with Timo Werner again the culprit for the same. Zinedine Zidane's makeshift huffed and puffed but was no match for their opponents, and the Frenchman had to revert to a back four, having started the game with three centre-backs. With Real Madrid in all sorts of trouble, Karim Benzema, as he has done so often since Cristiano Ronaldo's departure, came to the team's rescue. The Frenchman scored an acrobatic goal to level the scores, limiting Chelsea's damage.
Benzema's goal was the only phase in which Zidane's side came close to putting the ball in the back of the net, until the dying seconds when Raphael Varane steered a header wide. Benzema's strike was his 71st Champions League goal, making him the joint-fourth highest scorer in the competition alongside Raul, while only trailing Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski. The Champions League result sees Chelsea have the edge because of that away goal, but Real Madrid still present a serious threat and have already proved their enduring ability to get the job done. Zidane may well be satisfied to have avoided defeat after a desperately slow start, which could have seen them concede more than a couple of goals.
⚪️ Karim Benzema joins Raúl González on 71 goals in the Champions League 👏
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 27, 2021
Real Madrid legend ✅#UCL pic.twitter.com/eiSSBk04Eq
Champions League highlights: Real Madrid vs Chelsea highlights
UCL semi-final second leg date: When is Chelsea vs Real Madrid second leg?
With an away goal in the bag, Chelsea will host Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge in eight days time for the second leg of the semi-final. The UCL semi-final second leg date is set for Thursday, May 6, 12:30 PM IST with the two teams battling for a spot in the finals against the winner of the Paris Saint-Germain vs Manchester City clash. The game will be broadcasted live on only TEN 2, Sony TEN 2 HD, Sony SIX and Sony SIX HD TV channels while the live stream for the same will be available on Sony LIV.
(Image Courtesy: Champions League Twitter)
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Published April 28th, 2021 at 09:37 IST
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