The going has been good for Chelsea since former manager Frank Lampard’s sacking earlier this year. Apart from making the mighty Real Madrid look ordinary at Stamford Bridge in last night’s 2-0 victory -- and winning the semi-final tie 3-1 on aggregate --, the Blues look confident for a top four finish in the Premier League.
With that, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has made it to the coveted pages of football history. He is now the first manager in Champions League history to reach two consecutive finals with different clubs. Last year, Tuchel reached the competition’s final with Paris Saint-Germain, eventually losing 0-1 to Bayern Munich.
How It Went...
An away goal in Madrid had earned Chelsea a slender advantage before locking horns with the Spanish giants at home. In the second leg yesterday, it didn’t take the Blues much time to get a grip on the match, with Timo Werner scoring in the 28th minute, by nodding in a Kai Havertz attempt that bounced back off the crossbar. Chelsea were 1-0 ahead, with Tuchel over the moon at the touchline.
The second goal came in the 85th minute when Mason Mount scored after N’Golo Kante and Christian Pulisic made the Real defenders look like a bundle of nerves. And all of this happened despite star defender and Blancos captain Sergio Ramos returning to the fold after recovering from a calf injury. It was his first start in seven weeks.
Touch of history for Chelsea
Thomas Tuchel had more to cheer about. He became the only manager to face Real Madrid six times in the Champions League without facing a defeat, with two wins and four draws to his name.
Chelsea scored their 300th goal of the Champions League, and became the sixth team to do so after Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Manchester United and Barcelona.
Mason Mount’s 85th minute strike made the statisticians think deeper. Mount became the first English goalscorer in ten years in a Champions League semi-final clash. The last Englishman to do so was Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, in a game against Schalke in 2011.
Save The Date -- May 29
Manchester City on May 4 beat Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 on aggregate, storming into their maiden Champions League final. And now, Chelsea have set up an all-English summit showdown on May 29 at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey. High COVID-19 infection rates have forced Turkey into its first-ever national lockdown, which will be lifted on May 17. Here’s hoping COVID doesn’t play spoilsport when it comes to football.
