Real Madrid Sails into Champions League SF, Chelsea Adrift

Real Madrid's Brazilian striker Rodrygo scores the team's second goal Chelsea's Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg football match between Chelsea and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge in London on April 18, 2023. (AFP)
Real Madrid's Brazilian striker Rodrygo scores the team's second goal Chelsea's Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg football match between Chelsea and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge in London on April 18, 2023. (AFP)
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Real Madrid Sails into Champions League SF, Chelsea Adrift

Real Madrid's Brazilian striker Rodrygo scores the team's second goal Chelsea's Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg football match between Chelsea and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge in London on April 18, 2023. (AFP)
Real Madrid's Brazilian striker Rodrygo scores the team's second goal Chelsea's Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga during the Champions League quarterfinal second leg football match between Chelsea and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge in London on April 18, 2023. (AFP)

Real Madrid’s pursuit of a 15th European Cup marches on.

Chelsea, meanwhile, does not know when it will compete on this elite stage again.

Madrid’s 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday completed a 4-0 aggregate victory and saw the Spanish giants advance to the Champions League semifinals for the 11th time in 13 seasons.

Rodrygo scored twice in the second half to kill off a spirited Chelsea fightback that lasted the best part of an hour, but ultimately ended in a fourth straight loss under interim manager Frank Lampard.

Madrid can dream of more glory in a competition it has won a record 14 times, with either Manchester City or Bayern Munich to come in the next round.

“We try but we have another 180 minutes,” Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said. “We are ready to be there and we are ready to fight for the final.”

It is a different story for Chelsea as the London club’s miserable campaign is now destined to end trophyless.

Defeat left Lampard fielding questions about where the 2021 European champions go after its troubled start under new owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital and the prospect of no European soccer next season.

“People will make a lot about this season for Chelsea because we’ve had so much success,” Lampard said. “The reality is this club is going to be back, but it will take work.”

Chelsea sits 11th in the Premier League and 17 points off the top four despite spending around $630 million on new signings.

Lampard’s arrival after Graham Potter was fired this month has not prompted an upturn in form, with his team scoring just once in its four losses since his appointment.

That lack of cutting edge was evident again in the quarterfinals second leg as Chelsea missed a host of chances.

N’Golo Kante failed to convert clear openings in each half with the score still goalless. And former Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois beat away a close-range effort from Marc Cucurella just before the break.

The home team was made to pay for those misses as Madrid struck twice on the break.

Ancelotti admitted his team “suffered a lot” before Rodrygo’s goals.

The Brazil forward opened the scoring in the 58th minute when turning in Vinicius Junior’s cutback. He added a second in the 80th, this time after Federico Valverde’s assist.

He might have completed a hat trick if not for a first-half effort hitting the outside of the post.

The home fans headed for the exit in numbers once Rodrygo’s second goal crossed the line.

But they applauded at the end after being given some cause for encouragement as Chelsea pushed Madrid for a large part of the match.

“I think the fans appreciated the performance today," Lampard said. “Maybe they’ve had moments this season when they are not feeling like that so we have to latch onto that.”

Trailing 2-0 after last week’s first leg at the Bernabeu, even the most optimistic Chelsea fan must have feared the worst in the second leg.

Many have lost patience after seeing the season unravel, but frustrations were put to one side as they tried to inspire a famous comeback and hope Madrid would crack.

Had golden chances at either end of the first half been taken, then hopes of an unlikely win would have grown. Kante, however, fired wide after a shot by Kai Havertz was blocked and rebounded invitingly for the midfielder.

Cucurella came closer just before the break after connecting with Reece James’ cross at the far post.

On this occasion Courtois, who was booed throughout by Chelsea fans, was down quickly to save.

The visitors had their chances in between those two key moments.

Rodrygo hit the post and Vinicius missed the target from about 6 meters out. Vinicius and Luka Modric also forced saves from Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Kante was presented with another opening early in the second half, but his shot from close range was blocked by Eder Militao.

It was over shortly after that when Rodrygo burst away down the right. His cross should have been converted by Karim Benzema, but when the ball was worked back across goal by Vinicius, Rodrygo was on hand to score.

Vinicius played a big role in the second goal when breaking on the left and playing in Valverde, who might have shot himself. Instead, he pulled the ball back for Rodrygo to have the simplest of tap-ins.



F1 on Jeddah’s Streets - Talking Points Ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP

 McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia walks through the paddock ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP)
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia walks through the paddock ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP)
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F1 on Jeddah’s Streets - Talking Points Ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP

 McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia walks through the paddock ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP)
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia walks through the paddock ahead of the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, April 17, 2025. (AP)

This weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is the final leg of the first "triple header" of the season.

From Suzuka in Japan, to the desert of Bahrain, Formula One now pitches up on the shores of the Red Sea in Jeddah.

AFP Sport looks at five talking points ahead of the fifth round of the 24-race season:

Advantage McLaren

Oscar Piastri put in a faultless display from pole last Sunday in Sakhir to make it three wins out of four for the British marque.

That moved the cool as ice Australian to within three points of championship leader and teammate Lando Norris, who took third in Bahrain.

With Max Verstappen, only sixth, and Red Bull struggling to keep tabs on the world constructors' champions, the 2025 title could well develop into a battle between the two McLaren men.

The team has always been insistent on "papaya rules", theoretically meaning no favoritism between the pair, but that even-handed policy will be put under intense pressure if the season develops into a battle between the two gifted drivers.

Looking ahead to Sunday's race Norris commented: "It's a really fast track and we have a quick car, so we'll be aiming to finish this triple-header strongly."

Red Bull to bounce back?

Red Bull's problems in Bahrain were well documented, and they will be desperate to bounce back on one of their favorite hunting grounds, with Max Verstappen winning in Jeddah in 2022 and 2024.

"Bahrain was quite a difficult weekend for us and didn't really go our way at all. We had some issues that set us back and we still have a lot of work to do on the car to get us where we need to be," said the four-time champion.

He slipped to third in the standings, eight points behind Norris, after trailing in over half a minute behind Piastri in Sakhir.

"We have a final push with this being the third race and final weekend of the triple header so hopefully we can find more pace and bring out a performance similar to Japan (his only win of the season)," he added.

The circuit

Sunday's race presents a radically different test for car and driver than last week in Bahrain. The fastest street circuit on the calendar offers multiple chances for overtaking, in stark contrast to the most famous street circuit of them all, Monaco.

With a record 27 corners and three DRS (drag reduction system) zones it can be counted on to serve up plenty of drama, with the walled sides leaving little room for error.

All the ingredients then for a thrilling race under floodlights on Jeddah's Corniche.

Golf in the Gulf for Gasly

Alpine finally got off the ground in Bahrain, with Pierre Gasly picking up their first points of the season in seventh.

"It's great to leave Bahrain with points on the board after three challenging races at the start of the season," reflected the French driver.

He celebrated his bold show by following Rory McIlroy's emotional Masters triumph at Augusta.

"I really enjoyed staying up late to watch the end of the Masters and I'm delighted for Rory McIlroy, one of our investors, to finally secure the green jacket. Congratulations to him!"

Toto praise for Russell

George Russell will be hoping to concentrate on the job he's paid to do -- driving -- rather than as a part-time electrician. The Briton, enjoying his best ever start to a season, took second last Sunday despite a myriad of issues he had to contend with in the cockpit in the closing stages.

"It was a superb drive from him under extreme pressure," marveled Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

Russell's teammate Kimi Antonelli did not enjoy the rub of the green and finished out of the points for the first time in his debut season.

"It has been easy to forget that Kimi is in the very earliest stages of his F1 career given his performances so far. Bahrain will prove an important milestone in his continued development," Wolff remarked.