Chelsea's €600m splurge has echoes of Real Madrid's misguided 'galacticos' era

14.04.2023 - 07:09 thenationalnews.com

Tens of thousands of madridistas, those with two decades or so of loyalty stamps on their season tickets, departed the Bernabeu on Wednesday night having glimpsed a piece of their own past.

They had just watched a club bearing the weight of record spending on players look impotent in a Champions League knockout. They had heard some bravado from one of that club’s senior executives before kick-off.

But these older Real Madrid fans could smile about it. The spectacular underachievers they had been watching was not their team but Chelsea.

The boasts that soon assumed a very hollow ring had come from Todd Boehly, who heads the consortium that 10 months ago took ownership of the London club.

Football Benfica Chelsea Frank Lampard Luis Figo Todd Boehly Bruno Saltor Britain

Didier Drogba says he «no longer recognises» Chelsea and accuses the club's owners of «lacking class» since the club was sold last year by Roman Abramovich to Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. Chelsea were knocked out of the Champions League after a 2-0 defeat to Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night. Ad Two goals from Rodrygo ensured a 4-0 aggregate win for the La Liga champions and extended Chelsea's winless run in all competitions to seven matches with interim boss Frank Lampard overseeing their fourth loss in a row.

Frank Lampard sees Chelsea positives after Real Madrid defeat, 'won't let anyone off the hook’ in run-in

Frank Lampard lamented Chelsea's recurring failure to take their chances in their 4-0 aggregate loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals. Todd Boehly’s side continue to struggle despite being on their third manager of the season, and two goals from Rodrygo were enough to secure a relatively easy passage through to the semi-finals for Carlo Ancelotti’s men. Ad For Lampard it represents a blow given it was the last hope of silverware for the Blues in the 2022/23 season.

Real Madrid’s Rodrygo floors Chelsea to seal Champions League semi-final spot

The pulse had been faint beforehand and, as expected, it was extinguished for Chelsea well before full-time, this Champions League quarter-final exit sounding the death knell for their season.

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Chelsea vs Real Madrid akan main di leg kedua perempatfinal Liga Champions dini hari nanti. Prediksi pertandingannya, The Blues siap-siap angkat koper.

How to watch Chelsea v Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final: TV channel, live stream details, kick-off time

How to watch Chelsea v Real Madrid in quarter-finals of the Champions League, what channel the match is on in the UK, and what time kick-off is. Real Madrid will be the heavy favourites to progress to the last four after taking a 2-0 lead in their first-leg win last Wednesday. Ad Chelsea, meanwhile, have a tough test on their hands and will be looking to get back to winning ways after losing 2-1 to Brighton at home on Saturday.