Champions League: Chelsea Reaches Final For The First Time Since 2012

Champions League soccer: Chelsea Reaches Final For The First Time Since 2012 By Admin Goals from Timo Werner and Mason Mount secured a 2-0 second-leg win for Chelsea over Real Madrid on Wednesday at Stamford Bridge, advancing them to the UEFA Champions League final for the first time since 2012, BSNSports.com.ng reports. With a 3-1 on aggregate after the clubs' first-leg clash last week ended in a 1-1 draw, Chelsea will take on fellow English Premier League club Manchester City in the UCL final May 29 in Istanbul. Real Madrid, with captain Sergio Ramos back in the starting lineup controlled possession from kickoff but failed to create notable chances early on. Werner nearly gave Chelsea the lead inside 20 minutes when he tapped in a cross from Ben Chilwell however, the goal was ruled out for an offside. Shortly after Edouard Mendy had a remarkable save to deny Madrid star Karim Benzema who got off a rocket shot from the edge of the box, Chelsea took the lead as Kai Havertz after receiving a pass from N'Golo Kante chipped the ball over Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, with the shot clanging off the bar before Werner headed it home from close range. Moments later, Benzema again forced Mendy to make a superb save with a header after Luka Modric set up the scoring chance. Real Madrid struggled to create any further opportunities, while Chelsea started the second half with Havertz hitting the bar once more. Chelsea continued to create scoring chances but failed to capitalize, with Mount and Kante victims of bad misses. Star American Christian Pulisic, who came on for Werner near the 67th minute, also had a good ball across the box that Havertz failed to corral. With five minutes left, Chelsea finally broke the match open when Pulisic faked a shot just outside the box and delivered a pinpoint pass to Mount, who deposited the ball home from close range. With the victory, Chelsea becomes the first club to have both the men's and women's sides reach the Champions League final. The women's Chelsea team beat Bayern Munich in the semifinal on Sunday to set up a showdown with Barcelona.