On Tuesday and Wednesday nights, the Champions League returned to action, with eight teams playing their first-leg matches in their various venues.Manchester City, the reigning English Champions, defeated Atletico Madrid 1-0 at Etihad Stadium, while Liverpool defeated Benfica 3-1 away from home.
Villareal defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 in the Estadio de la Ceramica, while Chelsea, the reigning European Champions, were defeated by Real Madrid 13 times at Stamford Bridge.
The second legs of these matches will be contested next week, with Chelsea visiting the Santiago Bernabeu to face Real Madrid, and Bayern Munich hosting Villarreal. Manchester City will play Atletico Madrid at Wanda Metropolitan, while Liverpool will host Benfica at Anfield in the reverse fixture.
Why Chelsea will still qualify for the UEFA Champions League semi-finals this season.
Chelsea lost the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final match against Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. Karim Benzema, a Frenchman, scored a hat-trick against the Blues, putting the Spanish giants one step closer to the last four. Chelsea forward Kai Harvertz scored the solitary goal for the reigning European Champions, and the Blues might yet make the last four provided their defense is clinical in the second leg.
They controlled possession in all areas of the game, with 20 shots compared to Madrid's eight, 90 percent accurate passes compared to Madrid's 83, 5 corners compared to Madrid's 2, and 64 tackle accuracy compared to Madrid's 56. Against these two European football heavyweights, the second leg will be a nail-biter. Chelsea could play more attacking football against the Whites, given they will almost certainly score more goals and get to the last four this season.
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