Chelsea's hopes of a third Champions League title took a blow after they lost 2-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu to Real Madrid in their 2022/23 quarter final first leg.
Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio scored either side of halftime for Los Blancos, while Chelsea's Ben Chilwell was shown a straight red card for a clumsy last-man foul on Rodrygo.
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly will be slightly embarrassed by the result after telling the media that he expected his side to win 3-0 in Spain.
Despite the loss, the Blues have made second leg comebacks in this competition before. The Sporting News runs through the history below.
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Biggest Chelsea Champions League comebacks
Chelsea are no strangers to second-leg comebacks in the Champions League knockout rounds, coming back from a losing position on four separate occasions.
Interim manager Frank Lampard was in the squad for some of these fixtures and may need to take inspiration from them when they welcome Real Madrid to Stamford Bridge on April 18.
| 1st Leg Defeat |
Opponent | Edition | Stage | Final Agg. Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-1 | Napoli (ITA) | 2011/12 | Rd of 16 | 5-4 |
| 3-1 | PSG (FRA) | 2013/14 | QFs | 3-3 (away goals) |
| 2-1 | Fenerbahce (TUR) | 2007/08 | QFs | 3-2 |
| 1-0 | B. Dortmund (GER) | 2022/23 | Rd of 16 | 2-1 |
Greatest Chelsea Champions League 2nd leg turnarounds
Football fans love a comeback of any sort, but there aren't many as thrilling as a second leg fightback in the Champions League.
Chelsea supporters have already been lucky enough to witness a turnaround at home on their way to winning the biggest trophy in European club football in 2012. They hope to see the same story unfold at Stamford Bridge on April 18.
Frank Lampard's side will need to come back from a two-goal deficit against Real Madrid to keep their Champions League title hopes alive. They've done it only twice previously, both instances at Stamford Brdige, and The Sporting News outlines each below:
Chelsea thump Napoli at the Bridge (2012)
- 1st Leg: Napoli 3-1 Chelsea
- 2nd Leg: Chelsea 4-1 Napoli (a.e.t.)
A brace from Ezequiel Lavezzi and a controversial goal from Edinson Cavani gave Napoli a 3-1 first-leg advantage despite Chelsea taking the lead in Naples through Juan Mata.
With a poor record in the league and facing a difficult task ahead in the Champions League, the Chelsea hierarchy decided to sack manager Andre Villas-Boas and appoint former player Roberto Di Matteo as interim.
Didier Drogba and John Terry put Chelsea 2-0 up in the second leg before Napoli pulled a goal back. Then Lampard of all people scored a penalty to take the game to extra time. That's where Branislav Ivanovic netted a fourth to send Chelsea fans into pandemonium at the Bridge.
Demba Ba sends Chelsea into semis (2014)
- 1st Leg: PSG 3-1 Chelsea
- 2nd Leg: Chelsea 2-0 PSG (away goals tiebreaker)
Following a 3-1 defeat in Paris, Jose Mourinho's Chelsea needed some Stamford Bridge magic to progress to the semifinals of the Champions League in 2014.
Andre Schurrle, who was substituted on for an injured Eden Hazard, opened the scoring in the 32nd minute for the London club. Things became tense as both he and Oscar hit the woodwork in a search of another goal that would take them through.
An 87th-minute goal from Demba Ba caused Mourinho to sprint down the touchline and celebrate with his players before shouting instructions to his defenders. Chelsea managed to see out their 2-0 win and advance on the away goals tiebreaker.
That away goals tiebreaker was abolished years later in 2021/22 and should teams finish even on aggregate goals over the two legs, they head to extra time, and potentially a penalty shootout.