Welcome to Sportstar’s live blog of the UEFA Champions League 2021-22 quarterfinal second leg clash between Real Madrid and Chelsea being played at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain.

This is Neeladri Bhattacharjee bringing you the pre-match buildup minute-by-minute updates of this high-voltage clash.

Full Time

Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea

120′ Foul! Ceballos gets the ball off Modric and tries to make a forward run and gets fouled bu Saul Niguez. Free Kick to Real Madrid. The Free Kick ultimately ends in the gloves of E. Mendy

119′ Another corner kick for Chelsea as Edouard Mendy joins the players. After the corner kick, the ball falls for Ziyech, who passes to Havertz, but his shot is deflected for another corner

117′ Just Wide! Havertz’s header just off target! Jorginho crosses the ball into the penalty box where Havertz lay waiting, but his header is just wide

116′ Corner Kick! Alonso carries the ball along the wings, but is forced out for a corner kick. The kcik has the ball cleared out initiallt and then a cross into the box almost hit, only to see Madrid make a crucial last minute block

114′ Shot! Ziyech gets a cross from the centre, on the left and goes for goal with a forceful shot. Courtois stops the shot, refusing any margin for error

113′ Chelsea hares into the Madrid box, but six white shirts keep the box zonally marked and Tuchel is furious with the refereeing and gets booked for dissent alongside Azpilicueta

111′ Courtois makes a clinical save against Havertz as a slight delay may have led to a clear red for the former Chelsea goalkeeper

108′ Marcelo gets the ball back into play with a throw in as Rudiger tracks back to contain any Madrid attack at the moment

ET Second Half Begins!

104′ Real Madrid has one white shirt behind every yellow shirt in its final thied with veteran Marcelo along the wings, securing the defence along the wings

101′ Vinicius tries to make a run along the left wing, but Chelsea, desperate to defend get the ball back and pass in front to earn a corner. Alonso takes the corner as Havertz heads it on target and Courtois catches it easily.

96′ GOOOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL!!!!!!! Benzema gets the ball in the middle of the penalty box and sticks his head to the ball as Real Madrid reclaims its lead

Real Madrid 2-3 Chelsea 

94′ James gets the ball in the midfield, carries it to the final third and shoots too high over the goal

92′ Real Madrid goes on attack with Benzema passing to Vazquez, but his shot is blocked as Benzema gets to it and his shot is blocked as well. Chelsea has all its hands on deck. The trophy is theirs to defend!

Extra Time First Half Begins!

Full Time

Real Madrid 1-3 Chelsea (4-4 on Aggregate)

The match will now go into extra time with no winner decided in the 90 minutes plus injury time.

90′ Chelsea tries to get the ball in front, but Kante kicks it out for a Madrid throw in and Tuchel is infuriated.

89′ Whistles and boos are back at Bernabeu with Chelsea enjoying possession in Madrid’s half and the Blues get a corner, with Alonso’ cross cleared out

88′ Substitution for Real Madrid! In: Lucas Vazquez, Out: Nacho

86′ Chelsea back on attack with Pulisic, now passing to Mount, who began the battle tonight. But Camavimga makes a key block

80′ GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL!!!! Rodrygo gets the ball off a magical cross from Modric, and buries the ball into the net

What a match this has been!

Real Madrid 1-3 Chelsea (4-4 Aggt.)

75′ GOOOOOOOAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!!! Timio Werner makes a run into the Madrid box. leaves one Madrid defender on the ground, stops and then shoots to put Chelsea finally in front

Real Madrid 0-3 Chelsea

73′ Substitution for Real Madrid! In: Eduardo Camavinga, Out: Toni Kroos

71′ Alonso gets the ball along the wings, passe sit to his right to switch the play as Santiago Bernabeu reverberates boos and whistles. The Blues have come back from behind on level terms for now.

66′ Real Madrid atacks on the break, with Benzema getting a cross from the left. He meets it with his head, but the ball come off the woodwork!

62′ No Goal! Kante carries the ball through the midfield into the final third, passes it on his left to Alonso, who shoots after a stumble and buries te ball into the net. However, after a VAR Check, the goal is ruled out!

Real Madrid 0-2 Chelsea

61′ Shot! Valverde gets the ball off a cross by Carvajal, but the shot is too high as it flies over the goal

56′ Chelsea continues to rain attack on Real Madrid with Havertz running behind the Madrid defence and shoots to see the ball go side netting

51′ GOOOOOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLL!!!!!!! Rudiger heads the ball into the goal as Chelsea get level on terms

Real Madrid 0-2 Chelsea

49′ Chelsea working extremely hard to penetrate the wings with runs along the right and the left. Ancelotti’s side must do something to stop this attack or one chance and the score may just get level 

46′ Chelsea starts the second half on the offensive, but the final pass by Loftus-Cheek is cleared by Madrid

Second Half Begins!

Half Time

Real Madrid 0-1 Chelsea (3-2 Aggt.)

45′ The Free Kick is met by Rudiger, but his header is off target. Goal Kick to Real Madrid.

44′ Foul! Werner tries to make a run from the midfield, but Kroos chases him and ends up pushing him down for a foul in front of the penalty box. Chance for a set-piece for Chelsea then

42′ Chelsea remains just one goal behind and with the away goal rule gone, will need just one goal to stop Real’s path and force a decider post regulation time

37′ Foul! Benzema and Thiago Silva try to get to the ball at the same time and the Frenchman ends up conceding a foul and gets a yellow card for that offence

35′ Havertz, Loftus-Cheek, Kante and Werner surround the Madrid box, but Mendy finally makes a clearance to keep the Chelsea attack at bay for the moment

31′ Valverde to Modric to Carvajal and back to Modric as Ancelotti’s side looks deperate for control and Casemiro finally gets the ball at the edge of the box and goes for goal. Too High as the ball goes fliying over the Chelsea goal

30′ Rudiger gets the ball into the box, but his cross is cleared by Ferlan Mendy and now Madrid goes on attack.

28′ Another wave of attack by Chelsea. This time Loftus-Cheek carries  the ball along the wings and after an initial block, the ball falls for Kovacic, who shoots from distance. But the ball flies over the goal. No danger for Courtois whatsoever.

27′ Chelsea advances into the opposition box, beats the defence, but the cross finds the White shirts as Real’s players try to carry the ball out and earn a free kick to end that attack

25′ Foul! Casemiro concedes a rash foul and a stern verbal warning from the referee for the Brazilian.

23′ Benzema’s shot!

Benzema gets the ball at the other end and shoots for goal. Thiago Silva stands in his way to head the ball out for a corner kick. Kroos takes the free kick, which is fisted away by Mendy

22′ Loftus-Cheek’s shot blocked!

 Alonso gets the ball rolling with a throw-in and then Loftus Cheek gets the ball in fornt of the penalty box and shoots from distance, only to see the ball blocked

20′ Chelsea is enjoying a lot of possession in the midfield as Real Madrid waits for opportunities to attack on the break. No English team has wonwith a margin over two goals at Bernabeu

15′ GOOOOOOOAAAALLLLLL!!!!!! Chelsea attacks on the break with Mount running into the box and shooting with a clinical power to put Chelsea in front

Real Madrid 0-1 Chelsea

12′ Rudiger’s header off-target!

Chelsea now makes a run at  the other end, with the final pass falling for Havertz, who goes for goal and ends up comceding a corner kick. The corner kick is headed in by Rudiger, but this too is too high for goal

12′ Modric tries to make a run into the Chelsea box, but is thwarted by three defenders and passes to Vinicus, but nothing comes of that attack.

11′ Free Kick! Kroos takes the free kick, but the ball flies over the goal. Off Target that.

10′ Foul and a Yellow Card! Reece James pulls Vinicius down at the edge of the box and gets the first booking of the game.

8′ Alonso carries the ball along the left wing and then crosses. Nobody is their to block it as the ball lands in the penalty box and Nacho finally gets to it and clears the ball away

7′ Madrid goes on attack with Benzema carrying the ball along the wings , passing it to Vinicius, who fails to find a gap in the yellow wall and Chelsea clears the ball away

6′ Cezar Azpilicueta has been rested bu Tuchel as Reece James tales his position and now a foul on Kroos by Havertz, gives Los Blancos a foul in their favour

5′ Modric gets the ball in the midfield, but is pressed high enough and Chelsea gets the ball back. The Men in yellow are enjoying early possessuin, but only turning them to goals will change their fate

4′ Chance! Madrid tries to attack on the break, but Kovacic tracks back on time, back passes to Mendy and gets the ball back in Chelsea’s control

12-30 am: The stage is set.

Can Chelsea make a comeback or will the 13 Time UCL Champion march forward through the quarterfinals?

Let’s find out!

12-00 am: Formations: Real Madrid has decided to stick with its 4-3-3 formation while Chelsea has changes its shape to four men at the back with a 4-3-2-1 shape.

11-50 pm: Werner leads Chelsea’s arsenal!

Timo Werner has scored four goals in his last six outings in the Champions League, a run which started with his close-range header against Los Blancos in the semi-final, second leg win back in May. As a result, the German has earned a start at Bernabeu tonight!

11-35 pm: Chelsea has a past for comebacks from a two-goal deficit to win over two legs. The first was against Club Brugge in the quartefinal of the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1971, and the second was against Napoli in the Champions League last 16 in 2012.

In both seasons, the Blues ended up lifting the trophy.

11-15 pm: HEAD-TO-HEAD:  Real Madrid vs Chelsea overall head-to-head record

Real Madrid and Chelsea have played each other six times with a win for Madrid, two draws and three wins for Chelsea.

Breakdown of the results

• Chelsea 1-3 Real Madrid (April 6, 2022)
• Chelsea 2-0 Real Madrid (May 6, 2021)
• Real Madrid 1-1 Chelsea (April 28, 2021)
• Chelsea 1-0 Real Madrid (August 28, 1998)
• Real Madrid 1-2 Chelsea (May 21, 1971)
• Real Madrid 1-1 Chelsea (May 19, 1971)

11 pm: One of the Starting Lineups out!

Real Madrid Starting XI: Thibaut Courtois (GK), Dani Carvajal, Nacho, David Alaba, Ferland Mendy, Luka Modric, Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Federrico Valverde, Karim Benzema (C), Vinicius Jr.

Chelsea Starting XI: Edouard Mendy (GK), Marcos Alonso, Thiago Silva, Antonio Rudiger, Reece James, Ngolo Kante (C), Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz

MATCH PREVIEW

Just about everything has been going Real Madrid’s way recently, in the Spanish league and the Champions League.

Not even the resounding 4-0 loss to Barcelona in the “clásico” at home a few weeks ago was enough to knock the Spanish league leaders off track.

But heading into Tuesday’s second leg against Chelsea in the Champions League quarterfinals, when Madrid will defend a 3-1 lead from the first match in London, some of the team’s focus was being directed toward Gareth Bale and his old feud with fans.

RELATED |
Real Madrid vs Chelsea, Bayern vs Villarreal: UEFA Champions League quarterfinals, all you need to know

The 32-year-old Bale, who spent last season on loan at former club Tottenham, was loudly jeered by the Madrid crowd at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium after coming off the bench in the team’s 2-0 win over Getafe in the Spanish league on Saturday. Players and coach Carlo Ancelotti couldn’t avoid talking about it.

“When you jeer a player, you are jeering all of us,” Madrid midfielder Casemiro said Monday. “I didn’t like it because Bale is a historic player for this club. He has scored a lot of important goals for this club. When you jeer a player like him, you are jeering the history of this club. I hope that the fans will support all of us and will get excited about the game tomorrow. We need their support.”

Ancelotti, who included Bale in the squad for the second leg, had already talked about the importance of having fans and players on the same page.

“In a moment like this in the season, when we need every player, the unity between fans and the squad is a very important aspect,” Ancelotti said after the match against Getafe. “Bale is well, he has been practicing and wants to play and help the team, that’s the most important thing.”

RELATED |
Real Madrid won’t take Chelsea lightly, says Casemiro

Bale has long been at odds with Madrid fans, who feel he hasn’t made the club a priority and instead focuses on Wales’ national team. Many fans and Spanish media say Bale failed to consistently perform to his potential since joining the club in 2013 for a then-world record 100 million euros (then $132 million).

“It’s tough,” veteran Madrid left back Marcelo said. “We are all important. At the end of the season, when we are playing for a lot of important things, we need to be united. The fans have to help us. But it is what it is and we have to remain calm. It’s a bit sad, but we have to keep working hard and move on.”

Bale last month spoke out against the psychological harm that professional athletes can receive from the media after a leading Spanish sports daily published a column entitled “The Welsh Parasite.” Bale accused the media of “encouraging anger and disappointment in fans.”

Bale helped Madrid win four European titles, scoring in the 2014 and 2018 Champions League finals. He has made only seven appearances and scored one goal with Madrid this season, though, while with Wales he has five goals in six matches.

Madrid will be back at the Bernabéu after having to play the home match against Chelsea in last year’s Champions League semifinals at the small Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium at the team’s training center because of major renovation work. Madrid drew that game 1-1 before losing 2-0 in London.

Madrid rallied past Paris Saint-Germain at the Bernabéu 3-1 to overturn a 1-0 loss in Paris in the round of 16. Karim Benzema scored a hat trick in that game, and the red-hot France striker got another three-goal performance in the first leg against Chelsea last week.

Madrid hadn’t lost in 14 consecutive matches at home before falling to Barcelona in the Spanish league in March.

“We didn’t lose our focus after the Barcelona loss,” Ancelotti said. “We handled the situation well.”

ALSO READ |
Chelsea must improve or face elimination, Tuchel says

Madrid still has a 12-point league lead over Barcelona with seven matches to go, though the Catalan club has a game in hand.

Ancelotti rested Toni Kroos and Luka Modric in the win against Getafe, and the coach said left back Ferland Mendy is expected to return to the starting lineup against Chelsea after recovering from a muscle problem. He will not count on suspended central defender Éder Militão, however.

Madrid has won 34 of its last 36 two-legged series in UEFA competitions, but it conceded more than three goals at home against Ajax in the round of 16 of the Champions League in 2019. The team lost 4-1 at the Bernabéu after a 2-1 win away and was eliminated.

(via AP)

Where to watch UEFA Champions League?

Watch UEFA Champions League 2021-22 Quarterfinals live on SONY TEN 2 (English), SONY TEN 3 (Hindi) & SONY TEN 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels on April 7, 2022, from 12-30 am IST. It will also be live streamed in the OTT Platform, Sony Liv and JioTV.