Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema scored three goals in Real Madrid's 3-1 victory over Chelsea in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final match at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea's Champions League campaign is now on a knife's edge, as they must play superbly in the second leg if they are to advance to the competition's last four. With that in mind, let's take a look at the five players who had trouble versus Real Madrid.
Players to be blame
1. Edouard Mendy
Benzema's two fantastic headed finishes are entirely his fault. On the other hand, his third cannot be said in the same way. Benzema had plenty of possession time, but a misplaced pass to Rudiger gave him an opportunity he shouldn't have had.
2. Antonio Rudiger
The German enjoyed a strong first half, with Christensen posing the greatest threat to Real. His teammates were grateful he got a yellow card for a cynical foul to stop a counter-attack.
Rudiger's decision for Benzema's hat-trick goal, on the other hand, appeared to be impacted by his yellow card, as he was abnormally weak in a 50/50 tackle. Mendy's gaffe started the chain of events, but Rudiger didn't help himself with a weak poke at the ball.
3. Mason Mount
From the start, he worked tirelessly, hustling and harrying Real's midfield whenever possible. His power waned after Real scored, and he didn't have as big of an impact in the first half as he'd hoped.
Sticked to his assignment, as he usually does, and came near to getting one back after the intermission with a magnificent curling attempt. He gave it his all, but it just wasn't his night.
4. Christian Pulisic
Christian Pulisic was the quietest of Chelsea's front three in the first half. He didn't fare much better after the break, with a poor shot that Courtois easily gathered summing up his night. Lukaku was brought on for the last half-hour.
5. Jorginho
When he was outmanned in midfield, his passing was metronomic, but he struggled to stop Real from breaking away. Chelsea cut the deficit in half before the break thanks to a fantastic pass from Jorginho to Havertz. He was sacrificed for the last 25m so that fresh legs might contribute more to the onslaught.