The home team, going into this tie with a two-goal lead and the competition's history on their side, needed an extra-time winner having rescued themselves 10 minutes from the end of normal time after Chelsea had taken a 3-0 lead on the night.

We scored the early goal we so needed when Mason Mount fired home his first non-Premier League strike of the season and his third in two games, setting up a first half in which Thomas Tuchel’s men had more of the ball and more shots than Real Madrid, with a greater number of ours on target too.

We survived a couple of Karim Benzema efforts before the interval but looked just as likely to score the next goal as the side from the Spanish capital.That proved the case when a Toni Rudiger header from a corner, even earlier in the second half than our opener had been in the first, brought the tie level at 3-3, and although Real Madrid upped their attacking game after that and hit the bar, the Blues had the ball in the net from a Marcos Alonso rocket, only for VAR to rule it out for handball.There was however nothing to stop Timo Werner making it 3-0 on the night and putting his side in a winning position but with time running out, the home side scored a fine goal through Rodrygo.

That was enough to send the game into extra time after we missed opportunities to put the tie to bed, and the Real Madrid winner came early in that added period, Benzema again proving to be the Blues downfall. Kai Havertz headed a good, late opportunity wide and over the two legs, we can rue a large number of scoring chances not taken.The defence of our Champions League title is over, but after tonight in the Spanish capital we exit with our heads held high.

The selection

The quest before kick-off was quite simple. With the ‘away goals rule’ now abolished, having lost 3-1 at Stamford Bridge a week ago Chelsea needed to win by a clear two-goal margin to take this quarter-final tie into extra-time.We started the game with plenty of the ball. There were what looked a couple of nervous, loose touches amongst all the possession in those opening minutes.

From Real Madrid we saw an early combination between Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema which was worryingly reminiscent of the home leg and 10 minutes in, Vinicius Junior won a free-kick out of Reece James in a dangerous spot. Benzema thankfully sent that over and Chelsea responded when Toni Rudiger headed a corner over Courtois’ crossbar. With our next attack, we scored.

We have lift-off

Mount’s curling finish from just inside the area was perfection. Mateo Kovacic, against his former side, had threaded a pass forwards and after Loftus-Cheek flicked it on, Werner forced the ball into Mount’s path to beat Courtois. There were only 15 minutes gone – 75 to find the other goal needed. Truly game on!

Chelsea probed for more, although looked vulnerable to the counter-attack after a Loftus-Cheek shot was charged down. Fortunately, Benzema’s effort deflected off the head of Thiago Silva before it could test Mendy.The rest of the half belonged largely to the visitors. Kovacic shot over from distance as we pressed forward again and Rudiger went wide with one from further out.There was still plenty for us to do as the teams went in at half-time with the score 1-0, but it was the Blues fans high up near the Bernabeu reconstruction works that cheered and clapped their team off the pitch, rather than those supporting Real.

Toni ties the tie

We started the second half much, much better than in the first leg with two instant attacks followed by a goal, one of our advances forcing an error of judgement from Courtois when he kept a ball in but created danger, although he survived it. It was however a sign of the pressure the 13-times winners were under.That continued when James shot. It went just wide and the ref awarded a corner. Mount took it and sent the ball deep to where Thiago Silva and Rudiger lurked and it was the latter whose header had our former goalie diving desperately but in vain to keep the ball out of his net. Six minutes into the second half and we had a two-goal lead on the night.

Real responded, inevitably, and Thiago Silva blocked from Benzema and Mendy saved a Toni Kroos free-kick. Now our defensive mettle was being tested with sustained pressure for the first time on the night. Carvajal hooked a shot over Mendy’s bar.Suddenly, however, it seemed for a couple of minutes as if Chelsea had taken the lead. Marcos Alonso, back at the club where he started his career and playing his 50th European game, broke through Carvajal’s tackle and rifled an unstoppable shot into the top corner. After an agonisingly long VAR check, the goal was ruled out for the ball touching our left wing-back’s arm as he beat his man.

Game catches fire!

Fortune did favour Chelsea when a Benzema header soon after hit the top of our crossbar but with 15 minutes of the 90 left, Werner gave us the aggregate lead for the first time in the tie. Kovacic played him through on the left and the German did brilliantly to lay down one defender and bypass another. Courtois got a hand to the shot but only succeeded in diverting it past a man back on the line.

It took a very good save to keep out a Havertz header before Real grabbed their lifeline and scored their first goal with 80 minutes played. It has to be said that Modric’s pass over the Chelsea defence was fantastic, finished on the volley by substitute Rodrygo.Mendy made a save from Modric after that but in stoppage time, substitute Christian Pulisic had two chances to win it after headers dropped his way but both went over, so it was to be another half-hour of this gripping entertainment.Five minutes into extra time, Benzema scored his fourth goal of the tie and it proved to be the decisive one. Vinicius Junior escaped into the space where he does damage and teed-up the Frenchman for a diving header with Rudiger’s attempt to defend it not helped by a small slip.The Chelsea endeavour remained and we fashioned three more decent chances, Courtois saving from Hakim Ziyech, an unmarked Havertz heading a James cross wide, and Jorginho dragging an effort past the post.

It is small consolation but by winning on the night, Thomas Tuchel’s men have set a new club record of eight straight away wins in all competitions.

What's next?

From one big knockout game to another. We are at Wembley on Sunday where we face Crystal Palace in a London derby FA Cup semi-final.

Chelsea (3-4-1-2): Mendy; James, Thiago Silva, Rudiger; Loftus-Cheek (Saul 106), Kante (c) (Ziyech 99), Kovacic (Jorginho 106), Alonso; Mount; Havertz, Werner (Pulisic 83).Unused subs Arrizabalaga, Bettinelli, Azpilicueta, Chalobah, Christensen, Sarr, Vale, Scorers Mount 15, Rudiger 51, Werner 75Booked James 10, Ziyech 102, Havertz 109, Tuchel 113, Azpilicueta 113

Real Madrid (4-3-3): Courtois; Carvajal, Nacho (Lucas Vazquez 88), Alaba, Mendy (Marcelo 78); Kroos (Camavinga 73), Casemiro (Rodrygo 78), Modric; Valverde, Benzema (c), Vinicius Junior (Ceballos 115).Unused subs Lunin, Toni Fuidias, Mariano, Marin, Bale, Asensio, Jovic.Scorers Rodrygo 80, Benzema 96Booked Benzema 37, Valverde 68, Camavinga 90+2, Carvajal 118Referee Szymon Marciniak from PolandCrowd 59,839