JAKARTA - Real Madrid put one foot into the semifinals of the Champions League after winning 2-0 over 10 Chelsea players in the first leg of the quarter-finals, Thursday, April 13, early morning WIB.
Karim Benzema's first-half goal put the reigning champions ahead at the Santiago Bernabeu before Marco Asensio doubled their lead with a quarter of an hour remaining.
A straight red card for Ben Chilwell after he brought down Rodrygo in between added to a difficult trip to Spain for Frank Lampard's men.
Los Blancos will hope they have more to show for this, but will still go to Stamford Bridge with a healthy advantage for the second leg, next week.
Thibaut Courtois thwarted Joao Felix's efforts early in the first half. Benzema also succeeded in forcing Kepa to stop his close-range attacks in the first 15 minutes.
Benzema was in the right place in the 21st minute. He successfully took advantage of the opportunity when Kepa parried Vinicius Junior's shot.
Madrid has the opportunity to increase the advantage before the break. Unfortunately, David Alaba's header five minutes before the break did not result in a second goal.
Chelsea's hopes of bouncing back after the break were slim. Chilwell got a red card which only made things worse for Chelsea.
Asensio then added to Madrid's lead when in the 74th minute. He scored a goal using a cut-back bait.
Benzema could and probably should have scored a third in stoppage time. It's just that his header over the crossbar from nine yards.
Nonetheless, this result was enough to put the hosts on track to extend their excellent continental streak. Ancelotti will know more that the battle is not over for his team.
Real Madrid will visit Cadiz on Saturday in Spanish La Liga. Meanwhile, Chelsea hosts Brighton and Hove Albion in the Premier League on the same day.
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