As brutal and harsh and coarse as it might seem after such a valiant effort from Chelsea that saw them on the cusp of a legendary Champions League comeback, certain truths after to be acknowledged. Perhaps not directly to a group of players left demoralised, exhausted and in disbelief on a pitch in the Spanish capital, but as an elite set-up striving for the best. The Blues may have scored three times, but it could have been more.
Scoring four goals at the Bernabeu is asking a lot for any team. The effort Chelsea made even to make the prospect of qualifying return must be applauded. It says a great deal about the quality and character of the squad. Particularly in how the Blues overwhelmed Los Blancos in all areas during the opening 45 minutes.
Across the facts and stats of 120 minutes of football, there remains an elephant in the room. While Tuchel noted how unlucky his side was, there was an element of Karim Benzema's and Rodrygo's goal having slightly deeper significance.
READ MORE: What an angry Thomas Tuchel told the referee following Chelsea's loss to Real Madrid
In his press conference, the German coach said: "They did not create a lot at Stamford Bridge, but they took every half chance and converted it. This answers your question. This was enough. You have to reduce your amount of mistakes, and we could not reduce it to an absolute minimum over the two legs. That is why the deficit was so high.
"Then you come here and play a match like this and, as I said, we have two crucial ball losses that only against very few teams end in a goal. Against Real Madrid, it is possible. Still, even over both legs and today, I think we deserved to go through. We were unlucky, but there are no regrets. These are the kind of defeats you can take with pride and accept as a sportsman."
Chelsea should have pride, but the scoreline determines the victor over two legs, even when luck is involved. The conversion of those ball losses speaks of the Spanish side's quality and their clinical edge. You cannot fault the goalscoring ability of Kai Havertz or Mason Mount, or even others of late, and even on Tuesday night, Chelsea did score three goals. However, in this manner, the discrepancies show between the teams.
The Santiago Bernabeu was home to 28 Chelsea shots and just 10 from Real Madrid. However, there was just a difference of three on target, with the Blues recording seven and their opponents four. Ancelotti's side were able to convert two of their three strikes that came from inside the penalty area, whereas Chelsea scored from three of their 15.
Generating as many opportunities in the opposition's area is an improvement in itself in comparison to the poor chance they have generated at times this season, but Real required little invitation to polish of their own when the pressure was well and truly on. As the ball fell to the likes of Christian Pulisic and Jorginho in extra time, there wasn't the same conviction to be found as what Benzema showed over two legs.
In the early stages of 2022, Havertz is showing all of the signs that he can be an elite striker, not just a forward. His header wide from Reece James' cross will undoubtedly replay through the German's head. The 22-year-old is a true talent, who will come back better than ever, but over the course of nearly 30 shots also needs support from his teammates. Real Madrid, at the moment, have the finished article in Benzema.
Whether it be eventually unleashing record signing Romelu Lukaku, making another transfer or simply allowing Havertz to develop, the Blues are on the path to finding that clinical edge but can't forget they still need it. It is a team that has already tasted success and are on their way to proving they can sustain it.
