Real Madrid’s pursuit of a 15th European Cup marches on. (More Football News)
Chelsea, meanwhile, does not know when it w꧙ill compete on this elite stage again.
Madrid’s♛ 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday completed a 4-0 aggregate victory and saw the Spanish giants advancꦿe to the Champions League semifinals for the 11th time in 13 seasons.
Rodrygo🔯 scored twice 🦹in the second half to derail a spirited Chelsea comeback that lasted the best part of an hour, but ultimately ended in a fourth straight loss under interim manager Frank Lampard.
Madrid can continue its quest f🅠or more glory in a competition that it has won a record 14 times, with either Manchester City or Bayern Munich to come in the next round.
“We are ready to be there and we are ready t🐲🤪o fight for the final,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said.
City was leading Bayern 3-0 after the first leg of the quarterfinals, setting up a likely rematch of last year’s semifinals. Madrid scored twice in added time and another in extra time at the Bernabeu last season to🅘 win 6-5 on aggregate.
Madrid is already the only team to successfully defend the Champio🌳ns League in its modern guise - winning it three consecutive times from 2016-18 - and is still in con♔tention to win it back-to-back again.
It is a record that no other team can compete with - and with a forward🎐 line of Vinicius Junior, Karim Benzema and Rodrygo in such daunting form, the defending champions will take some stopping.
Chelsea’s miserable campaign, however, is now destined𝐆 to end without a trop🐷hy.
Defeat left Lampard fielding questions about where the 2021 European champion g💞oes after its troubled start to life under new owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Cap🃏ital.
“People will make a lot about this season for Chelsea because we’ve had so much success,” Lampard said. “The reality is this club is going🐻 🐽to be back, but it will take work.”
Chelsea sits 11th in the Premier 🐓League and 17 points off the top four despite spending around $630 million ౠon new signings.
A club that won the 🧸Champions League twice under former owner Roman Abramovich now appears certain to miss out on the compet𒈔ition next season.
With the battle for the top four increasing in intensity in the light of a resurgent Arsenal, an improving Manchester United and a Saudi-backed Newcastle, Chelsea’s route back to Eur🎃opean club football's elite competition may not be straightforward.
“In this moment to tr🔴y to predict what happens going forward, will it be good, will it be bad, I think is pretty pointless,” Lampard said. “But I do think we can set the building blocks now of where we want to get to.”
Chelsea’s slide has been sudden.
Just two years ago, the London club won the Champions League for a second time inꦉ its history, under manager Thomas Tuchel.
The German manager, who was hugely popular among fans, was fired earlier in the season and replace𒅌d by Graham Potter, who suffered the same fate at the start of this month.
Lampard’s arrival has not prompted an upturn in form, with his team scoring just once in its four los🉐ses since 🔯his appointment.
That lack of cutting edg⭕e was evident🐭 again in the quarterfinals second leg against Madrid as Chelsea missed a host of chances.
N’Golo Kante failed to convert clear openings in each half with the score still 0-0. And former Chelsea goalkeepeꦫr Thi🌄baut Courtois beat away a close-range effort from Marc Cucurella just before the break.
The home team was made to pay for those misses as Madrid struck twice on the breꦐak.
Ancelotti admitted his team “suffere🐻d a lot” before Rodrygo’s goals.
The Brazil forward opened the scoring in the 58th minute when turning in Vinicius’ cutback. He added a second 🌠in the 80th, this time after Federico Valverde’s assist.
He might have had a hat trick if not fo💖r a fi🐓rst-half effort hitting the outside of the post.
The home faဣns headed for the exits in numbers once Rodrygo’s second goal crossed the line.
But those who remained applauded at the end 𝓰after being given some cause for encouragement as Chelsea pushed Madrid for a large part of the match.
“I think the fans appreciated the performance today,” Lampard said. “Maybe they’ve had moments this season when they are not feeling like that, so we have to latch onto 🌺that.”
