Chelsea put in a dominant performance over Real Madrid on Wednesday night in London, trouncing the European powerhouse 2-0, for a total aggregate score of 3-1 in Chelsea's favour.
The scoreline was exceptionally kind to Madrid, however, as Chelsea squandered at least half a dozen golden scoring opportunities, most coming in the second half as Madrid pushed forward as effectively as a wet noodle. Timo Werner thought he'd opened the scoring early on, but was miles offside on the play, though he'd take another chance given to him just a few minutes later when N'Golo Kante played Kai Havertz in, who struck the crossbar after chipping Madrid keeper Courtois, only for the ball to land softly on Werner's head a foot off the goal line. Chelsea's first goal changed little for them, as Madrid still needed to score one goal to give themselves a chance at progressing.
Only a few minutes into the second half, Havertz hit the bar with a header, then Mason Mount, Kante, and Havertz were each in turn played into 1v1 situations with the Madrid keeper, but none could find the finish until Christian Pulisic was substituted on. The American needed a few chances himself to find the final bit of quality, but finally did so n the 84th minute when he ran deep into the box then squared it for Mount to finish and send Chelsea to the final.
Madrid's only decent chances came in a short flurry in the middle of the first half, when a long shot from Benzema needed Mendy to push it outside the post, then Benzema broke free in the Chelsea box to receive a cross, but couldn't place the header past Mendy again. In the second half, Madrid barley mustered an attack, and were being constantly cut to shreds by Chelsea counter-attacks, with Courtois as the only Madrid player that did not dramatically disappoint.
Chelsea will play Manchester City in Istanbul for the Champion's League Final after their domestic rivals handily beat Paris SG yesterday with two goals by Riyad Mahrez. An early preview of the CL Final clash will be played in the Premier League this upcoming weekend, just a short time after Chelsea beat Man City 1-0 in the FA Cup Semi-Final.
Manchester City have already won the league, but face a serious challenge from Chelsea for the greatest prize in club football. Chelsea were underwhelming in the middle portion of the season after a hot start, deeming it necessary to fire their manager and former star player Frank Lampard in January, replacing him with Thomas Tuchel, who had only been relieved from his post at Paris SG a few weeks earlier. Tuchel's effect on the club has been immediate, turning a leaky defense into arguably the best backline in Europe by reverting to a 3-CB formation. This will be Chelsea's third time reaching the final of the new format of the Champion's League, previously losing in penalties to Manchester United in Moscow in 2008 and winning against Bayern Munich in the German team's home stadium in 2012.
Man City for their part have looked nearly-unbeatable since the holiday season, only failing to win a handful of times, including the FA Cup match against Chelsea. Manager Pep Guardiola, long revered as one of the best in the game but often vexed in high-stakes CL games, looks to finally have his team geared for a real push at the CL title. This will be Manchester City's first time reaching the Champion's League finals, a chance they will not take lightly.
The Champion's League Final is set for a fascinating matchup, only time will tell how history will be written in Istanbul.
