Real Madrid and Villarreal amassed sufficient soccer arsenals to send defending champions Chelsea and dominant Bayern Munich into abyss, thus zooming into semi/finals of the Champions league.
Karim Benzema’s extra-time header sent Real Madrid into the Champions League semi-finals despite holders Chelsea fighting back with a 3-2 second-leg win in Spain on Tuesday.
Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea, trailing 3-1 after the first game at Stamford Bridge, turned the quarter-final on its head with goals from Mason Mount, Antonio Ruediger and Timo Werner.
But Rodrygo’s 80th-minute volley forced an added half an hour, and Benzema headed home to grab a 5-4 aggregate triumph for 13-time European champions Real.
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However, substitute Samuel Chukwueze was the hero for Villarreal as they shocked Bayern Munich to reach the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
Chukwueze had been on the pitch for only four minutes when he got on the end of Gerard Moreno’s cross to find the net and earn Unai Emery’s side a 1-1 draw on the night and a 2-1 victory on aggregate in the quarter-final tie.
After stifling Bayern in a goalless first half in the Allianz Arena it had looked as if the Bundesliga leaders would prevail after Robert Lewandowski’s smart finish six minutes after the restart had got the game back level on aggregate.
Bayern were left to reflect on not doing enough with all their possession in the final third with Thomas Muller guilty of wasting their best chance to win the tie as he nodded wide when completely unmarked.
Villarreal again demonstrated the European pedigree that saw them win the Europa League last season as they held their nerve, kept battling and were rewarded with Chukwueze’s late heroics.
