UCL: Real Madrid qualify for semi-final after beating Chelsea, Osimhen’s goal not enough for Napoli
Real Madrid eased past Chelsea into the semi-final stage of the UEFA Champions League at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
Although Chelsea were more positive in their approach, it was Madrid who carried day with a 2-0 win, making it 4-0 on aggregate.
ALSO READ: UCL: Real Madrid put two past Chelsea; Napoli lose without Osimhen
Rodrygo was the hero as he struck twice to help Los Blancos to a comfortable victory over the troubled Premier League side.
The loss for Chelsea extends the losing streak of Frank Lampard to four matches since he returned as Blues interim boss earlier this month.
Things could have been different had N’Golo Kante scored with a shot from an unmarked position early on or Marc Cucurella had been able to find a way past Courtois at the back post late in the first half.
Kante was again denied after the break, but, having committed men forward, they were decisively caught on the counter by Real as Vinicius Junior tore away to set up Rodrygo’s close-range finish.
The Brazilian then made absolutely sure of Real’s win by tapping in after fine work from Federico Valverde to set him up in the box.
ALSO READ: UCL: Disappointing England return for Tuchel as City crush Bayern at Etihad, Inter beat Benfica
Real will likely face Manchester City in the semis, who lead Bayern Munich 3-0 in their last-eight tie.
Chelsea will likely miss Europe next season unless they win all their remaining matches, something that seems a tall order following their loss to Brighton despite scoring first over the weekend.
Napoli vs AC Milan
AC Milan reached the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since winning the competition in 2007 as they saw off Serie A rivals Napoli in a keenly-contested match.
Milan could face Inter Milan in the last four, with their city rivals going into Wednesday’s second leg with Benfica holding a 2-0 lead.
Serie A champions-elect Napoli dominated early on – but Milan won a penalty with one of their first attacks, although Olivier Giroud’s spot-kick was saved by Alex Meret.
The veteran Frenchman got the opening goal when he tapped in following a sensational 70-yard run by Rafael Leao to set him up. That made it 2-0 on aggregate.
ALSO READ: UCL: Real Madrid eliminate Liverpool, Osimhen stars as Napoli crush Frankfurt
Napoli were gifted a way back into the game when Fikayo Tomori handled in the box, but Mike Maignan saved Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s penalty.
They eventually scored through a Victor Osimhen header with seconds remaining in injury time, but there was not enough time to create another chance.
Napoli, 14 points clear of Lazio at the top of the league table, have lost form at a critical time and failed to take a host of chances, with 39 efforts across both legs.
