Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel said his side should have wrapped up their Champions League semi-final first leg with Real Madrid in the first half on Tuesday and rued missed chances in the 1-1 draw that could have put the game beyond their opponents.
US forward Christian Pulisic fired Chelsea in front in the 14th minute in the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium, and the visitors created plenty more opportunities in the first half as 13-times winners Real struggled to make any inroads at the other end.
Yet Chelsea’s inability to score a second away goal proved costly as Karim Benzema‘s fine effort levelled things up before the break with his side’s only shot on target in the opening period.
“I have a feeling we should have won the first half and we could have perhaps decided this game in the first half an hour when we were playing so strong,” Tuchel told the BBC.
“The second half was a tactical game and you could feel we only had two days in between two away games which made it physically and mentally demanding and you could feel it in the decision making.
“We suffered a bit and an extra day would have been nice.”
🔵 Tuchel is unbeaten as a head coach against Spanish clubs (W3 D4).#UCL pic.twitter.com/hQKtKLs2jP
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 27, 2021
Timo Werner failed to beat Thibaut Courtois from close range early in the game and Tuchel was left frustrated by the German striker’s inability to put away clear chances.
“He missed a big one at West Ham United (on Saturday) and now he’s missed a big one here, that doesn’t help,” Tuchel told a news conference. “It doesn’t help crying about it or regretting it.
“There are millions of people who have harder things to deal with than chances that you miss… I don’t feel we’re pointing fingers but of course the strikers want to score…..read more
Source: France24
