Champions League: Substitutes rescue Real Madrid against Chelsea attack

It was yet another magical night of European football at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday, as Real Madrid edged past Chelsea FC after surviving a heavy offensive onslaught from the defending UEFA Champions League title holders. Los Blancos came back from behind to lose the second leg 2-3, but the 13-time European Champions advanced to the semi-finals thanks to a 5-4 aggregate score which was helped by their 3-1 victory in the first leg at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea FC arrived in Spain with all guns blazing after suffering a humbling defeat in their home turf. Almost everyone had written them off after being 3-1 down, including their own manager Thomas Tuchel. However, he said that they are still holding on to the dream, and they almost wrote their own fairytale by burying the hosts 3-0 with fifteen minutes remaining.

Chelsea opened up the scoreboard via Mason Mount after just 15 minutes, giving them the confidence to pursue the comeback. Real Madrid transfer target Antonio Rudiger doubled the lead after the break, which levelled the aggregate score, 3-3.

The Blues almost took the outright lead after a brilliant strike from Marcos Alonso, but his goal was disallowed after a hand ball was spotted after a review. Nevertheless, Timo Werner did find that third goal for the visitors, giving them the outright 4-3 advantage on aggregate.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti managed to revive his squad by injecting energy through his substitutions, and it was Rodrygo Goes who found the breakthrough two minutes after coming in. Luka Modric provided the assist, which the young Brazilian sent to the back of the net to force extra time.

The late goal gave the home side the momentum, and it was the classic partnership of Vinicius Jr. and Karim Benzema that sealed the victory. Chelsea looked rattled after Real Madrid's first goal, but they pressed on and fought hard until the very end. However, it a Benzema header that once again drove the nail in their coffin just as he had in the first leg.

Ancelotti had received a lot of criticism this season due to his decisions when it comes to substitutions, but he was spot on against Chelsea. Even German midfielder Toni Kroos would have nothing to say now, after initially protesting his exit in favour of Eduardo Camavinga.

"We won this tie thanks to energy. I made the changes I made to add energy,," said Ancelotti after the match. "The team suffered a lot and all the players gave their all. We didn't deserve to be 2-0 down. We suffered on set pieces because we didn't have [Eder] Militao. We struggled, after the 2-0 we had a psychological slump, but the magic of the stadium helped us a lot again," he said, praising the Bernabeu crowd.

Camavinga was one of the earlier substitutes, and he immediately changed the tempo. "He can play from the start, but it's true that when he comes on he puts a lot of energy into the game," Ancelotti said, adding that Rodrygo and Fede Valverde also provided a much needed energy boost.

Real Madrid are through to the semi-finals, where they have been joined by fellow Spanish side Villarreal, who knocked out Bayern Munich on the same night. The other two semi-final berths are set to be filled after the games conclude on Wednesday.