Timo Werner admits he thought had done enough to get through to the semi-finals during their defeat to on Tuesday night.
Reigning champions Chelsea had looked down and out after last week’s 3-1 loss to Madrid at Stamford Bridge, but goals from and Antonio Rudiger levelled the tie at the Santiago Bernabeu, before Werner scored what looked like the winning goal with just 15 minutes to go.
However, it was not to be, with Rodrygo equalising just minutes later to take the game into extra-time, from where Karim Benzema headed home the decisive goal to knock the Blues out for good.
, Werner spoke of the heartache of coming so close to completing a miraculous comeback: ‘To come back after a 3-1 defeat in the home game was very good for us, we had everything that we needed at 3-0 up, we had the chance to go through.
‘But in the end, you can’t stop Madrid over the whole time. We know that but we tried everything in normal time and in extra time, but the home game made a difference because this [the away game] was nearly a perfect performance from us, so we are very disappointed after what we put into this game and how we played.’
After their disappointing performance in the home-leg, last night was a much better showing from Thomas Tuchels’s men, who could have scored more, with Marcos Alonso denied a goal by VAR for handball and ex-Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois making some key saves in the closing stages.
‘When I celebrated [my goal] I thought this is it,’ German forward Werner added.
‘We could have scored before that to make it 3-0 but the officials didn’t give it to us, it is a point you can talk about, but when I scored, I thought we are through with this. We nearly gave no chances to Madrid but in the end, we have to say the goals they scored were very good.
‘There was one moment in regular time when we were not like we were the whole game and Madrid have the quality to score against you and they showed it for the 3-1. I think it was a brilliant goal, a brilliant cross from Modric, hard to defend.
‘It was a problem because it put us in a very difficult situation, but also on the other side it was the thing that brings us for the second game to this level because we know that we have to step up and we have to give everything.
‘We had a brilliant game and we had 10 minutes to go through to make a miracle come true, so it is very disappointing.’
Werner and Chelsea will have no time to reflect on their loss however, with their next game being Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid advance to the Champions League semi-finals where they will face Manchester City or local rivals Atletico Madrid.
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