Karim Benzema Real Madrid Chelsea second leg UCLGetty Images

Real Madrid crush Chelsea dreams in epic Champions League quarter-final as Benzema scores extra time goal

Real Madrid crushed Chelsea's Champions League dreams on Tuesday as Karim Benzema ensured a wild quarter-final comeback by the Blues would be for naught with his extra time winner.

Benzema secured a 5-4 aggregate victory in the 96th minute, using his head to beat Edouard Mendy for the fourth time across two legs.

Chelsea had overturned the 3-1 deficit they faced entering the game to take a 4-3 lead only to see Real Madrid break their hearts late on.

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What has been said?

"The positive is we didn't give up," said Chelsea centre-back Antonio Rudiger to BT Sport. "Not many teams can come and dominate them as we did. But over the two legs if you make these kind of mistakes like we did, you get punished.

"The game plan was to find our number 10s. To find the space. We found it and got the goal. We didn't panic. In the second half we did everything we could but over the two legs, as I said, you make these mistakes you get punished.

"It was a do or die for us. I think before the game not everybody thought we would have the 3-0. For them the individual class comes to light with [Luka] Modric and Benzema."

Benzema's winner

Chelsea's valiant effort

Before the game, manager Thomas Tuchel demanded better organisation from his players after a first leg throttling at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea responded with an impressive performance despite the ultimate defeat, controlling possession for long spells and keeping Benzema under wraps until extra time.

The Blues became just the second English team to score three goals away against Real Madrid in all European competitions, after Manchester United did so in a 3-3 draw in the European Cup in May 1968.

Additionally, they became just the second team in all European competitions to play more than once away to Real Madrid and never lose.

"We are always [disappointed] but these are the kind of defeats we can digest and swallow as we left nothing to regret out there," Tuchel told BT Sport. "We showed the quality and character this team has and deserved to go through, it was not meant to be today, we were simply unlucky.

"It is most important how we play and the input from the players - how lively did we play within a tactic, how much discipline did we have within the spaces - this was up to the fullest, so full credit to the players. To do it over 90 minutes was simply unlucky not to go through."

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