Milan defeats Napoli on aggregate, while Real Madrid defeats Chelsea to go to the Champions League semifinals.
Meanwhile, Chelsea is unsure when it will compete on this elite stage again.
Madrid advanced to the Champions League semifinals for the 11th time in 13 seasons with a 2-0 triumph at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, capping a 4-0 aggregate victory.
A determined Chelsea comeback that lasted for the better part of an hour was stopped by two goals from Rodrygo in the second half, leading to Chelsea’s fourth straight defeat under interim manager Frank Lampard.
Madrid will face either Manchester City or Bayern Munich in the following round, giving it the opportunity to continue its search for further success in a competition it has won a record 14 times.
Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti stated, “We are ready to be there and ready to fight for the final.”
After the first leg of the quarterfinals, City led Bayern 3-0, setting up a possible replay of last year’s semifinals. Last season, Madrid won 6-5 on aggregate after scoring twice in added time and once in extra time at the Bernabeu.
Madrid, who won the Champions League three times in a row from 2016 to 2018, is the only side to successfully defend it in its contemporary incarnation and is still in the running to do it once more.
It is a record that no other side can match, and the reigning champions will be tough to stop with a front line that includes Vinicius Junior, Karim Benzema, and Rodrygo in such commanding shape.
However, Chelsea’s terrible season will now conclude without a trophy.
After losing, Lampard was forced to answer inquiries regarding the future of the 2021 European champion, which had a rocky start under its new owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
We’ve had so much success, so people will talk a lot about Chelsea’s season this year, Lampard said. The truth is that this club will return, but it will require work.
Despite investing almost $630 million on new players, Chelsea is now 11th in the Premier League and 17 points behind the top four.
A team that twice won the Champions League under former owner Roman Abramovich now seems destined to not participate in the event next season.
In light of a resurgent Arsenal, a strengthening Manchester United, and a Saudi-backed Newcastle, the race for the top four is becoming more intense, complicating Chelsea’s return to the top division of European club football.
Milan into Semis
Olivier Giroud’s first-half goal against Napoli helped AC Milan go to the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since they won the cup 16 years ago in spite of intense pressure on Tuesday. The result was a 1-1 tie and a 2-1 victory overall.
Victor Osimhen, a striker for Napoli, scored a thunderous header to tie the score three minutes into stoppage time, but it was too late as the referee abruptly halted the game seconds later. Despite fighting to the bitter end, Napoli was unable to penetrate the stubborn Milan defence.
After meeting on Wednesday at the San Siro with the Italian team leading 2-0 from the first leg, seven-time European champions Milan will now take on either Inter Milan or Benfica.
Milan and Napoli had played three times in as many days, with Stefano Pioli’s away team defeating the lopsided Serie A leaders 4-0 on April 2.
