Rocio Robles
On Wednesday, the UEFA Champions League held the second day of the quarterfinals with the following matches: Villarreal vs Bayern Munich and Chelsea vs Real Madrid. The first match looked a bit uneven since it pitted one of the considered weaker teams against the German heavyweights.
The second match of this second UEFA Champions League quarter-final day looked to be a fairly even match in which the possibility of a draw was not far-fetched. Both matches were surprising because of the performance that was put on them, and the Spaniards ended up winners in both of them.
UEFA Champions League results: Villarreal surprises and defeats Bayern Munich
Villarreal had only one assignment: to play their best, taking advantage of the fact that the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final would be played at home, and they accomplished it. From the very first moment, they tried to go forward and surprise Bayern Munich despite knowing that this opponent would not be easy to surpass. The team tried to deploy a style of play that would allow them to stop the Germans while trying to get forward. Eight minutes were enough for the “Yellow Submarine” to take the lead on the scoreboard, thanks to a great collective play that ended up in a goal. Arnaut Danjuma was the scorer.
The Frenchman, Francis Coquelin, almost increased Villarreal’s lead, but the VAR disallowed the goal for offside. In any case, the “Yellow Submarine” went into the break on the lead after a rather surprising performance.
Despite the fact that possession went to the German team for most of the game, the Spanish team managed to do a great job. The pressure on Villarreal increased as the minutes went by, but they did not give up. In this way, the underdog managed to win by the minimum against Bayern Munich, who will have to reverse the situation in the second leg if they want to reach semifinals.
UEFA Champions League results: Real Madrid beats Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in style
Both Chelsea and Real Madrid gave their all on the pitch in this match. A back-and-forth match was expected, but the Blues, who are known for their defensive style of play, were expected to put in a stronger defensive effort. However, they quickly succumbed to the pressure exerted by the “Merengue” team and in the 21st minute, the guest of honor arrived: the goal. French Karim Benzema gave Madrid the lead with a header.
The English team could not react quickly and, three minutes later, the score was 0-2 in favor of the visit, once again Benzema with a header. However, five minutes before the end of the first half, Germany’s Kai Havertz scored an equalizer for Chelsea and it looked like the game would be even in the second 45 minutes.
However, a minute into the second half, a strong mistake by goalkeeper Edouard Mendy allowed Benzema to score his hat-trick and become the star of the night at Stamford Bridge. Thibaut Courtois was solid under the posts and prevented the opponents from scoring again despite several attempts. In the 84th minute, Reece James had a clear opportunity to score, but the “merengue” goalkeeper saved.
The English side was obliged to go forward and did so for the remainder of the game but failed to cut the lead. Thus, Real Madrid will close the series at the Santiago Bernabeu with a 3-1 advantage.
