MADRID (AP) – Karim Benzema struck yet again against Chelsea, and Real Madrid is a step closer to eliminating the English club for the second straight season in the Champions League.
Vinícius Júnior thrived with two assists and Marco Asensio also scored in Madrid’s 2-0 win in the first leg of the quarterfinals early yesterday in the latest meeting between the last two European champions.
Chelsea played the final half-hour with 10 men after Ben Chilwell was sent off for stopping a Madrid breakaway.
It was a second consecutive defeat for new Chelsea interim manager Frank Lampard after he replaced Graham Potter amid the team’s disappointing results.
The second leg is next week at Stamford Bridge.
Benzema scored his sixth goal in five matches against Chelsea by hitting the open net off the rebound of a save by Kepa Arrizabalaga after an attempt by Vinícius from close range in the 22nd minute at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Benzema had scored four times against Chelsea in the last-eight last season, including the decisive goal in extra time in the second leg in Madrid. He had a hat trick in the first leg in London. His last 14 goals in the competition have come in the knockout stage.
Asencio netted the second in the 74th after another assist by Vinícius, who kept the Chelsea defence in trouble during most of the match with his quick runs and nifty dribbles.
The 22-year-old Brazilian was named the game’s most valuable player.
“We played very well. It was one of our best matches of the season,” Vinícius said.
“We are satisfied because we managed the game well and earned an advantage ahead of the second leg, which was the objective tonight,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “It was a good game and a good result.”
Chelsea’s winless run extended to five games. It has won only two of its last 11 matches in the Premier League, where it sits in 11th place.
“It’s a big challenge, of course,” Lampard said of his team’s chances in the second leg. “There is always hope. We have to believe. I need to be the first one to believe that it’s possible.”
The visitors had the first significant chance in a breakaway two minutes into the match, with former Atletico Madrid player João Félix having his shot saved by Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois in a one-on-one situation.
The match remained mostly even until Madrid broke the deadlock with Benzema’s tap in.
Chelsea nearly equalised a minute later when Raheem Sterling’s close-range shot was stopped by a brilliant reflex save by Courtois by the post.
Chelsea’s chances were reduced after Chilwell pulled Rodrygo from behind to stop the Brazilian forward from entering the area in a breakaway in the 59th.
Asensio came off the bench in the 71st and added to Madrid’s lead three minutes later with a low shot from just outside the area.
Chelsea struggled to create any danger near the end but it nearly got on the board in stoppage time with a shot by Kai Havertz that was blocked by Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger in front of the goal.
