“Everyone knows what this competition means”

Marco Asensio places the 2-0 goal after a corner kick. PDO

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard’s still have one Premier League record to their name.

In the 2009–2010 season, he scored no fewer than 22 league hits and provided 14 goal assists. The record threatens to remain forever, because it is difficult to even imagine similar powers from a midfielder.

In terms of the Champions League quarter-finals, it was significant because Lampard’s manager was an Italian at the time Carlo Ancelotti.

“Don Carletto” took on Lampard on Wednesday at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu.

Lampard was originally supposed to work in Madrid as a BBC radio commentator, but Chelsea owner Todd Boehly quick moves brought the Chelsea icon to the end of the bench once again.

– This is a surprise. I didn’t expect this, but the decision was easy for me. The players need support and I’ve tried to give that,” Lampard told BT Sport.

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As incredible as it sounds, Ancelotti clearly had more pressure to succeed. The Italian is likely to be fired from Madrid if the team does not win the Champions League.

Nobody expects anything from Lampard’s Chelsea.

Benzema hit

During the match, Ancelotti talked for a long time with the Chelsea top scorer Kalidou Koulibaly with. The two were influential at the same time in Naples. The television cameras followed closely how the Italian would receive Lampard: hugging and smiling broadly was the right answer.

However, the smile had already frozen after a couple of minutes of the game. N’Golo Kanté messenger of João Félix drive through, but the Portuguese’s speed was not enough Éder Militão against. Brassi harassed the striker with an early draw, and the Madrid keeper Thibaut Courtois picked up his first save of the night.

However, the attack showed that Chelsea had come to Madrid in earnest. It wanted to challenge the Whites on its own turf.

Ancelotti gestured wildly in his technical area and sent angry instructions to his own defence.

The Italian’s excitement was triggered after a good 20 minutes of play. Dani Carvajal sent a vertical pass which Vinicius continued with his telescoping leg towards the goal.

Basque goalkeeper of the Blues Kepa still saved it nicely, but the loose ball dropped straight Karim Benzema underfoot. It was an easy job for the Frenchman to move the home team into the lead.

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Chelsea were immediately cleared, and only Courtois’ ghost save held Raheem Sterling’s control outside.

Red card

The spectators understood that this is not a traditional quarter-final of the Champions League. The pace and the number of goal posts gave a hint about the overtime of the friendly match without stakes.

The second episode didn’t bring any more sense to the game. The situation was dangerous for Real Madrid, because the Blues could have entered the match with a chance goal.

However, Chelsea’s finishing was so weak that Lampard felt like jumping onto the field himself.

The script of the match took a new turn at the hour mark when Ben Chilwell tore the pass from Rodrygo’s hand and into the ground. Judge François Letexier didn’t hesitate for a moment and dug out of his pocket a red card for the Englishman.

At that point, even a one-goal loss would have been a success for Chelsea. That would have left the final decision of the pair of matches until next week and at home at Stamford Bridge.

At that point, the difference between Lampard, who had been fired twice as a coach, and Ancelotti, a six-time Champions League winner (four as a coach and two as a player), came to the fore.

Lampard fixed his defensive line At Trevoh Chalobah. Ancelotti answered just a few minutes later, and the substitution came Marco Asensio sank the 2–0 goal into the bottom corner after a short corner.

The result corresponds quite well to the level difference between the teams. Real Madrid gets a safe two-goal buffer for the second leg. Chelsea’s current goalscoring streak means the Whites have little to worry about in London.

In addition, Ancelotti showed that there is quite a big difference in the tactical training of the teams in favor of the champion.

– We played very well, and we pressed like last season. This was one of the best games of the season. The second leg is still left and we have to keep a cool head, Vinícius said immediately after the match.

– We have a lot of space, and we wanted to score more goals. Every player who pulls on this shirt knows what this competition means to this club.

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Milan won

At the same time, AC Milan beat Napoli 1–0 at San Siro of Ismaël Bennacer on the finish line. The away team controlled the events of the match, but when and Victor Osimhem that Gio Simeone were injured on the sidelines, no goal scorers could be found in the team.

Blues head coach Luciano Spalletti calculates that the necessary firepower will be found next Tuesday at home San Paolo.