Real Madrid absolutely crushed Chelsea on Wednesday night in their Champions League Real Madrid vs Chelsea quarterfinal first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, showing off their mad skills in front of the home crowd. The final scoreline of 2-0 could have been way more embarrassing for Chelsea, as they were dominated by the hosts from start to finish.

Frank Lampard, Chelsea's new caretaker manager, tried to rally his troops and started the game strong. But the Real Madrid goalie, Thibaut Courtois, who used to play for Chelsea, was not having any of it and shut them down early on. Poor Joao Felix and Raheem Sterling couldn't catch a break.

The game quickly turned into a one-sided affair in favour of Madrid. They took the lead just after 20 minutes when Karim Benzema swooped in and scored after Kepa Arrizabalaga deflected a Vinicius Junior shot into his path. Benzema has now scored 90 Champions League goals, and 11 of those have come against English teams. Ouch!

Madrid kept the pressure up and pounded the Chelsea goal with eight shots in the first half alone. The Blues must have been relieved to go into halftime down only one goal.

Things went from bad to worse for Chelsea when Ben Chilwell was shown a straight red card for taking down Rodrygo from behind. With one less player on the field, Chelsea's task became even harder.

Madrid took full advantage of their numerical advantage and Marco Asensio blasted a shot from the top of the penalty area in the 71st minute, scoring just minutes after replacing Rodrygo. That's some serious bench strength!

Overall, it was a total domination by Real Madrid, who totally deserved the win. Chelsea better gets their act together for the second leg if they want to have any hope of turning things around and advancing to the next round. But hey, at least they have Frank Lampard's pretty face to look at, right?

Real Madrid vs Chelsea: Line Up

Real Madrid rolled out the big guns in their starting lineup, with Thibaut Courtois manning the net and hoping to shut out his former club. The defence featured the likes of Dani Carvajal, Eder Militao, David Alaba, and the young prodigy Eduardo Camavinga. Meanwhile, the midfield trio of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, and Federico Valverde were primed to put on a masterclass in controlling the tempo of the game. And leading the charge up top was none other than Karim Benzema, flanked by the speedy duo of Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior.

As for Chelsea, they too came out swinging with their starting lineup, featuring Kepa Arrizabalaga guarding the goalposts. The defence was anchored by the veteran Thiago Silva, joined by Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly to keep things tight at the back. The wing-back positions were held down by Reece James and Ben Chilwell, who contributed to the attack as well. In midfield, the ever-reliable duo of N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic were tasked with holding down the fort, while Joao Felix and Raheem Sterling were out causing headaches for the Madrid defence with their blistering pace.

Real Madrid vs Chelsea: As it happened

First half

As the match between Real Madrid and Chelsea kicked off, the excitement was palpable. Both teams were looking sharp and ready to score. Real Madrid managed to take the lead in the 21st minute thanks to Karim Benzema's sneaky tap-in after a slow build-up. Vinicius had made a first-time shot towards the bottom right, but Kepa only managed to parry it, which set it up perfectly for Benzema to score from three yards out.

Real Madrid seemed to get comfortable in Chelsea's half, while the visitors were content to sit back and wait for their chance to break. However, Chelsea nearly got an equalizer right away when James got ahead of Camavinga down the right and crossed low. Sterling attempted a sidefoot into the bottom right, but Courtois pulled off an incredible save, scooping it around the post.

Real Madrid almost went two up when Vinicius ran hard at Fofana and delicately chipped the ball over Kepa from a tight angle. Silva adjusted in mid-air to clear it off the line, although the ball may have been sailing across the face of the goal rather than in. Real Madrid was growing fast into the game, with Modric and Benzema buzzing around in Chelsea's final third, causing havoc for the visitors' defence.

But, Chelsea wasn't going to take it lying down. They responded well to falling behind and started to show some serious attacking intent. Silva high-kicked Kroos accidentally, which unfortunately ended their attack. Despite this hiccup, the game has been an absolute blast to watch. It's been a wide-open match, with both teams looking dangerous and creating plenty of opportunities to score.

Second half

The second half of the match had fans on the edge of their seats as Chelsea battled it out for a leveller. It was a nail-biter, with every missed opportunity causing frustration and disappointment among the supporters.

Finally, in the 74th minute, Asensio of Real Madrid made an incredible low drive into the bottom left corner of Chelsea's goal, doubling their lead to 2-0. The stadium erupted with cheers and applause, as the Real Madrid fans celebrated their team's success.

Chelsea tried to fight back with shots by Mount, but Rudiger came in with a spectacular block, and Havertz's rebound shot went high and wide, leaving the Chelsea fans feeling dismayed and disheartened.

Real Madrid's Kepa got away with one when he flapped at a ball that was softly punched towards Benzema, who unfortunately couldn't react quickly enough to get a snap header on target. The Real Madrid crowd groaned in disappointment, feeling that their team's performance had fallen short of their expectations, despite their victory.

Ancelotti and Lampard hugged at the end of the match, with Lampard's ten-man Chelsea have done well to limit the damage to two. It was a moment of sportsmanship that warmed the hearts of fans on both sides.

As the match drew to a close, the crowd cheered as Ancelotti played keepie-uppie in the technical area, providing some much-needed entertainment. Carvajal went into the book after wrestling Cucurella to the ground in frustration, convinced that he should have been awarded a foul. Mount was lucky to only receive a free kick after he fouled Carvajal out on the Real right with studs on his shin.

Kroos attempted a shot from a distance, but Kovacic closed him down and blocked it. The scoreline of 2-0 was a fair reflection of the run of play, and Chelsea entered Hanging On mode with Gallagher and Mount coming on for Kante and Silva.

The free kick was worked to Asensio, who attempted to thread a shot into the bottom-right corner but missed by a hair. Real Madrid was awarded a free kick, and Tchouameni came on for Kroos, but it was Asensio who ultimately scored the second and final goal of the match.

It was a hard-fought victory for Real Madrid, and while the fans couldn't help but feel that the team's performance left something to be desired, they were nonetheless satisfied with the win. The players and coaches shared a warm embrace, and the fans left the stadium feeling emotional and proud of their team.

Real Madrid vs Chelsea: Match Takeaway

Madrid and Chelsea have become quite familiar foes in recent years, clashing time and time again in the knockout stages of the competition.

Last season, Madrid proved too much for Chelsea in the quarterfinals, ultimately claiming their 14th European title. 

But let's not forget the year, when Chelsea overcame Madrid in the semifinals to clinch their second Champions League trophy. It was a victory that will go down in history!

Chelsea eliminated Madrid 3-1 on aggregate amid the coronavirus pandemic in 202-21. But Madrid had the last laugh the year before, advancing with a thrilling 5-4 total score following extra time in a nail-biting second leg at the Bernabeu.

As the two teams prepare to face each other once again in the second leg, the stakes couldn't be higher. Madrid is looking to make it to the semifinals for the 11th time in 13 seasons, while Chelsea is hoping to make it to the last four for the second time since 2013-14.

It's sure to be a clash of the Titans, full of drama, suspense, and heart-stopping moments. Who will emerge victorious? Only time will tell!