Luka Modric admitted Real Madrid came back from the dead to overcome Chelsea in an instant Champions League classic.
Goals from Mason Mount, Antonio Rudiger and Timo Werner had completely turned the tie on its head, before a slice of Modric brilliance brought Madrid back into the game and to extra time. And in the extra 30 minutes, it was Karim Benzema who scored the decisive goal, with the game ending 3-2 to Chelsea on the night and 5-4 to Madrid on aggregate to book a place in the semi final.
"It is unbelievable. We were dead until the goal we scored,” Modric told BT Sport. “Chelsea scored three good goals. I cannot say we played a bid game, they used their chances well.
"We didn’t give up and our fans kept supporting us. That gave us a boost to believe that we could turn it around. In this competition, experience helps.”
Modric was full of praise for Tuchel’s side however, labelling them as one of the trickiest opponents in European football. “For me Chelsea are the most difficult to play against,” the veteran midfielder added. “Tough, physical and compact. But we showed great character and desire. It is a defeat that feels very sweet!”
The Premier League giants headed to the Bernabeu staring down the barrel of elimination having lost 3-1 in the first leg at Stamford Bridge last week. But Mount quickly halved the arrears in a pulsating start, before Rudiger brought them level shortly after the break.
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Marcos Alonso thought he had put Chelsea in front after rifling home a brilliant half volley, only for VAR to disallow the goal after replays showed the ball ricocheted off his hand. Thomas Tuchel was furious on the sidelines, but that anger quickly switched to elation when Werner put them 3-0 up with just 15 minutes to go.
However, the 12-time Champions League winners are made of stern stuff and the game turned again thanks to a moment of brilliance by Luka Modric. The Croatian picked the ball up in the Chelsea half and majestically found Rodrygo with the outside of his foot, with the substitute firing home to make iit 4-4 on aggregate.
And after scoring a stunning hat-trick in the English capital last week, Benzema popped up in extra time to head the all-important second goal on the night to edge Los Blancos back in front. Chelsea then had countless chances to turn the topsy-turvy encounter back in their direction, but failed to make them count and were left on their knees crestfallen.
It’s the latest chapter in what is proving to be a remarkable run at a record breaking 13th European title, having already picked themselves up off the canvas to beat Paris Saint-Germain in a memorable quarter final comeback. Modric’s moment of class proved to be the decisive moment this time around and his attitude summed up the host’s display, posting a tweet moments after the full-time whistle: “Giving up is not an option.”
