MADRID. A goal that can be worth a final: it is the one scored by Cristian Pulisic and which allowed Chelsea to touch the feat at Real Madrid, in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals. The expert Karim Benzema replies to the young American striker of the Blues, author of the 1-1 who keeps the hopes of Real alive in view of the return to Stamford Bridge. For the French bomber it is the goal number 13 in the last 14 matches. A curiosity: since Cristiano Ronaldo left in the Champions League, Benzema has scored 15 goals and CR7 goals 14.
The result reflected the progress of a balanced match, in which Chelsea showed great personality. The Blues are thus aiming to win their third Champions League final, the second in two years for the German coach Thomas Tuchel on two different banks. Real will need a feat at Stamford Bridge to win the first post-Ronaldo final. In Real Madrid, Zidane finds Toni Kroos in midfield and lines up a 3-5-2 with Militao, Varane and Nacho in defense given the absence of captain Sergio Ramos. Carvajal and Marcelo are the external players, while in midfield the immovable Modric, Casemiro and Kroos. In attack the tandem Benzema-Vinicius Junior. In Chelsea, Tuchel replies with the usual 3-4-3 with Thiago Silva leading the defense, Azpilicueta on the right to give more coverage and Jorginho in the control room. Forward play Pulisic and Mount in support of Werner. The game is played under annoying pouring rain.
The Blues immediately showed great personality, leaving Real the ball of the game and then slipping it with a series of sudden verticalizations. After a sensational opportunity failed by Werner in front of Courtois, Chelsea broke the deadlock in the quarter of an hour with Pulisic. The American striker evades the offside on Rudiger’s throw, enters the area where Courtois jumps first and then slips the ball into the empty goal between Nacho and Varane. Real try to react immediately dragged by Benzema, the French striker nearly equalizes with a left from the edge that splinters the post to Mendy’s left. On the second attempt Benzema scores the equalizer in the 28th minute, with a splendid flying right-footed shot from the center of the area on a corner kick.
In the second half Real tries to push with determination, progressively closing Chelsea in their half of the pitch. The Blues are struggling to come out with the same effectiveness as in the first half, even if they do not run great risks in defense. Half an hour from the end Zidane plays the card of the great former Hazard in place of a dull Vinicius. Tuchel replies by inserting Ziyech, Havertz and James in one fell swoop for Pulisic, Werner and Azpilicueta. Real insists but cannot find spaces, Odriozola and Asensio also enter for Carvajal and Marcelo. The first real shot on goal of the second half is a Ziyech free-kick from the edge stopped by Courtois with ten remaining. He is also the only one, with the exception of a right from distance from Kroos just wide and a deviation in the melee from Varane always wide in the recovery. The result is not released and everything is postponed to the return match at Stamford Bridge.