It was a tale too good to be true. Chelsea put in a shift for the ages at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday as it tried to overturn a 3-1 deficit from the first leg. Many supporters simply asked that their team go out there and leave it all on the pitch. Despite the rally cries of hope and miracles, let’s be honest with ourselves, many of us believed flipping the tie on its head was a pipe dream against the biggest club in the world. However, we were proven wrong. Thomas Tuchel and his men dared supporters to dream—even if only for a brief period—on Tuesday.
The Blues went out swinging and that’s all that matters. Every single player poured their heart and soul into the 3-2 victory in the Spanish capital. The feeling amongst the fanbase is one of a bittersweet and gut-wrenching hopelessness after a 4-3 aggregate lead slowly slipped through the cracks. Nevertheless, it goes without saying this tie was not lost in Madrid. Mistakes and missed chances came back to bite Chelsea in the end. The Blues now officially bow out of the UEFA Champions League at the quarterfinal stage. Their title defense is no longer alive, but they were able to walk off the pitch at football’s greatest cathedral with their heads held high.
Here is how the players fared in the madness at the Santiago Bernabeu:
Edouard Mendy (Goalkeeper): 6.5/10
This tie was a reality check for Chelsea fans. While Edouard Mendy has been a fantastic custodian in goal for the Blues over the last two seasons, maybe the supporters—myself included—got a bit carried away with the “best in the world” talks. Mendy is one of the best goalkeepers on the planet, but it became increasingly obvious in these last two games against Real Madrid that Thibaut Courtois is still more consistent than the Senegalese international.
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Mendy’s defense let him down on numerous occasions, and maybe I’m being a bit harsh, but I believe he could have done better on Los Blancos’ first goal. Instead, he stood rooted to the spot as the home side gained its confidence back.
Reece James (Right centerback): 7.5/10
Reece James was fantastic on the night, aside from an early yellow card and a poor decision late on. He kept Vinicius Jr. in check throughout much of the night as he played in a hybrid right centerback/wingback role. The Englishman showed us once again why he is so important to this club and its future. James cemented his place as one of the best young fullbacks in football on Tuesday as he put on a clinic at both ends of the pitch. Unfortunately, he ventured off a bit too high up the pitch in extra time when N’Golo Kante gave the ball away, which left acres of space for the aforementioned Brazilian to run into. Vinicius Jr. put in a cross to Karim Benzema and the rest is history. James definitely isn’t solely to blame, he just needed to be a bit smarter in that scenario.
Thiago Silva (Centerback): 8.5/10
Thiago Silva’s outing flew under the radar for most of the second leg due to the fantastic performances some of his teammates put on. However, if it weren’t for the veteran defender, the Blues wouldn’t have stood much of a chance. Silva was tasked with shadowing Benzema throughout most of the game, which worked perfectly for a majority of the contest. The Frenchman struggled to get established on the ball, which often led to Real Madrid losing possession. Tuchel threw the kitchen sink at Los Blancos from the opening whistle, which meant the centerbacks had to be flawless in their defensive positioning and executions. They were close.
Antonio Rudiger (Left centerback): 9/10
Antonio Rudiger is a world class centerback. If you didn’t believe it before, you cannot hide from it any longer. He put on performance for the ages at the Santiago Bernabeu. The German defended with physicality, led with energy and even managed to keep a level head throughout it all. The first priority of the new owner(s) should be to re-sign Rudiger after his near-perfect display in the second leg. It’s damn near impossible to overstate his importance to the club now.