MY ACCOUNT
Vinicius Junior lauded Real Madrid’s display against Chelsea on Wednesday as one of their best of the season as the Champions League holders earned a 2-0 first-leg advantage in the quarter-finals.
Madrid had eliminated Chelsea at this stage a year ago, albeit only by the finest of margins.
But this time they were heavy favourites against a side struggling in the bottom half of the Premier League and the contrast between the two sides was illustrated on the pitch.
Chelsea did have their chances, with Thibaut Courtois making three saves but opposite number Kepa Arrizabalaga was called into action on eight occasions as well as picking the ball out of his net twice.
Karim Benzema netted the opener when the Chelsea goalkeeper could only parry from Vinicius, whose pass teed up Marco Asensio for a 74th-minute second.
Vinicius was perhaps the star of the show, dominating his match-ups with Reece James and Wesley Fofana as he completed four of seven attempted dribbles and won eight of 13 contested duels.
But the Brazil winger was happy to reflect on a strong performance across the team, even if the tie is not quite yet over.
“We played very well indeed, pressing all the time just like we did at this stage last season,” Vinicius said, as reported by UEFA.com. “This was one of our best performances of the season.
“But this is only half-time. There’s a lot left in this tie. We just need to keep calm heads.”
Madrid, who played more than half an hour against 10 men after Ben Chilwell was sent off, could only have been frustrated the scoreline was not more one-sided.
“There were lots of spaces for us to push into, and obviously being Real Madrid, we always want to score more goals,” Vinicius added.
“We know that an away game against Chelsea can be difficult. Now we just rest a bit and keep a clear head.”
Madrid went three years without a Champions League triumph after Vinicius signed, but he is now eyeing up a second straight title as the competition’s most successful club aim for their 15th.
“Any player who wears this shirt for Madrid knows how special the Champions League is,” he said.
“Especially in the Bernabeu with this fanbase behind us, they light up for this competition.
“If you play for Madrid, you have to be driven by the hunger to play in and win the Champions League.”
