Vinicius drives down the left and glides infield. He attempts to release Benzema with a clever prod down the channel, but wily old Thiago Silva reads the danger and intercepts. Real look like responding in short order, James giving the ball away and allowing Vinicius to scamper down the left at pace.
He makes it into the box and should have a crack, because there’s nobody else up with him. But he doesn’t fancy the tight angle, and crosses to nobody in particular. Chelsea ping it around patiently. Pass, pass, pass. The crowd get a bit agitated. Then, all of a sudden, a ball’s fizzed down the inside-left channel by Kovacic. It’s helped on by Loftus-Cheek and Werner, and suddenly Mount is tearing into the box down the middle! He opens his body and sends a confident – and powerful – sidefoot past Courtois and into the top right!
Valverde ships possession 30 yards from his own goal, swarmed by yellow shirts. Werner and Havertz combine down the inside-left channel, the ball bobbling around in the box before clanking out for a corner. Rudiger meets the set piece, sending a header sailing clear over the bar. Much better from Chelsea.
Vinicius suddenly turns on the jets to scoot down the inside-left channel. He’s caught James flat footed, and the Chelsea man is forced to drag him back before the striker can break into the box. A booking for James. Benzema takes the free kick, just to the left of the D. Over the bar it flies, troubling Mendy not a jot.
The Bernabeu is bouncing, by the way, even though a good number of the seats are currently out of action due to construction work. No wonder, because Real are beginning to dominate.
Vinicuis is sent scampering clear down the left touchline, the recipient of Benzema’s outrageous backheel. His low cross finds nobody, but that’s the first sign of the sort of interplay that caused Chelsea so much trouble last week.
Modric swans around in the centre circle like he owns the place, which the little genius kind of does. He flicks a cute pass down the inside-right channel in the hope of releasing Vinicius Junior, but Mendy reads the danger, coming out of his box to sweep up. Good play all round.
Give Antonio Rudiger
400000000000 K WEEK CONTRACT pic.twitter.com/No5Q4JxxR8
— Hemant (@Sportscasmm) April 12, 2022