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Real Madrid dug deep to provide a traditional Champions League comeback because the 13-time winners got here from behind to oust reigning champions Chelsea from the quarterfinals 5-4 on aggregate after two thrilling matches.
Los Blancos carried over a 3-1 benefit from the primary leg however quickly noticed that worn out on the Bernabeu as objectives from Mason Mount and Antonio Rudiger levelled the mixture rating inside 51 second-leg minutes. An extra purpose for both aspect from Timo Werner and Rodrygo noticed the encounter prolong into further time, when Karim Benzema as soon as once more emerged because the hero for Actual by scoring a 96th-minute winner — the veteran France striker’s career-high 12th Champions League purpose of the season.
With that, Actual booked themselves a spot within the Champions League semifinals for the 15th time of their historical past, significantly greater than every other membership (Barcelona and Bayern Munich are each on 12).
As for omens, the Spanish giants have now superior from all 5 Champions League knockout ties wherein they’ve confronted the defending champions since 1992-93 and gone on to win the competitors in all the earlier 4 cases.
“How can I clarify the magic of this stadium? It helps the workforce and gamers so much to by no means surrender and we by no means gave up,” Actual boss Carlo Ancelotti stated after the sport. “I am very completely happy to be within the semifinal, the extra you endure, the happier I’m!”
Ancelotti set a brand new landmark and additional strengthened his declare that, if any coach is worthy of being generally known as “Mr. Champions League,” it is him. Few can declare the sheer longevity loved by the 62-year-old Italian, who has turn out to be a part of the furnishings within the latter levels of Europe’s elite competitors and lifted the trophy thrice.
Ancelotti has now reached the semifinals of the competitors in 4 totally different a long time as a supervisor — and that whole goes as much as 5 in the event you embrace his profession as a participant.
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As a participant, Ancelotti was a part of the good AC Milan groups that gained back-to-back European Cups in 1989 and 1990, a feat that might not be repeated for one more quarter of a century till Actual Madrid gained their third in a row in 2018.
Nearly precisely a decade later, Ancelotti returned to the semifinals of the Champions League for the primary time as a coach when he efficiently guided Juventus to the final 4 in 1998-99, after taking up from Marcello Lippi in February of that season. The Bianconeri had been struggling for kind however did at the very least handle to avoid wasting face in Europe by drawing 1-1 with Manchester United within the first leg of their semi at Previous Trafford, earlier than falling to a 3-2 house defeat within the second two weeks later. Whereas Juve crashed out and limped to a disappointing seventh-place end in Serie A, United went on to finish the Treble by beating Bayern Munich within the closing.
Ancelotti spent eight years in cost at Milan between 2001 and 2009 and guided them to the semifinals of the Champions League on no fewer than 4 events. The primary occasion got here in 2002-03, when the Rossoneri squeezed previous rivals Inter Milan on away objectives earlier than beating Juventus in a completely tedious closing that was determined by a penalty shootout. The 2004-05 season noticed Milan comfortably dispatch PSV Eindhoven within the semis earlier than taking a 3-Zero first-half lead in opposition to Liverpool within the closing in Istanbul, solely to be on the unsuitable finish of some of the gorgeous comebacks of all time and finally lose on penalties. Again-to-back semifinal runs then adopted in 2005-06 and 2006-07, with the latter culminating in Ancelotti lifting the trophy for the second time as a supervisor after masterminding a 2-1 revenge victory over Liverpool in Athens.
After stints with Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain yielded little in the best way of European success, Ancelotti landed the Actual Madrid job in 2013 and promptly returned to the ultimate 4 of the Champions League. Firstly, Actual beat Bayern Munich 5-Zero on combination within the semis to achieve the 2013-14 closing, the place they put one other 4 objectives previous Atletico Madrid to win “La Decima” — the membership’s document 10th victory within the competitors, claimed an agonising 12 years after their ninth. Ancelotti then took Actual again to the semis in 2014-15 solely to see their title defence halted by Juventus, who emerged with a 3-2 combination victory.
It took seven years away and tenures with various ranges of success at Bayern Munich, Napoli and Everton, however Ancelotti’s return to the Bernabeu has additionally coincided with the extension of his esteemed Champions League semifinal document. The milestone was formally handed on Tuesday due to Actual’s thrilling fightback in opposition to Chelsea. The previous midfielder additionally received the prospect to indicate he has not misplaced his contact with a nifty little bit of ball management on the sidelines in the course of the sport.
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