Chelsea out of Champions League after Rodrygo finishes the job for Real Madrid

Chelsea’s last hope of salvaging their season slipped away as Real Madrid completed a 4-0 aggregate victory to dump Frank Lampard’s side out of the Champions League.

Stamford Bridge was dotted with empty seats by the end of the quarter-final second leg, as it had been since Rodrygo skipped beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga and scored the second of two goals 10 minutes from time to ease the European champions through.

It was a 2-0 win for Real that, on reflection, Chelsea had never looked likely to rescue, in spite of two glorious chances either side of half-time for Marc Cucurella and N’Golo Kante.

At 0-0 on the night, they could have turned the tie in Chelsea’s favour. But over 180 minutes Real were too good for Lampard’s side, who now look destined to limp to the end of the season with nothing left to play for and an uncertain future beyond.

It had begun promisingly for Chelsea. Trevoh Chalobah drilled the ball wide to Reece James who took it well on the chest. He whipped an early cross in towards Kai Havertz who tried to meet it first time, but as the ball spun out from his control, Kante was there 12 yards out to stride onto it and lash wide.

With James and Cucurella playing high up the pitch on either flank, Chelsea looked to use width to get in behind Real.

When not in possession, the hosts were quick to press, with Mateo Kovacic and Kante stifling Luka Modric.

Vinicius Junior was having far less success against James than he enjoyed in the Bernabeu, and Karim Benzema, off-colour in the first half, barely featured.

Rodrygo at last gave the first reminder of Real’s threat, finding space in the box and cracking a right-foot shot that span behind off the outside of the post, though the angle was tight.

Then when finally on 27