Real Madrid’s last success in the Champions League came in 2018, where they defeated Liverpool 3-1 in the final. The Reds goalkeeper, Loris Karius, was at fault for two of the three goals conceded in Kyiv.
Liverpool went on to win the competition the following year, but that night in Kyiv remains a sore part of the club’s history.
The La Liga side enjoyed the same result in their latest European outing against Chelsea on Wednesday. Karim Benzema scored a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge and was able to do it partly with the help of Edouard Mendy.
He scored two headers in the first half before Kai Havertz pulled one back for the west London club before the break. At the start of the second half, an error from the Blues keeper was punished by the Frenchman.
The Senegal international has been a standout player for Chelsea this season, for whom he has conceded 28 goals and kept 18 clean sheets from 37 matches in all competitions. He has not been in his best form in the last two matches, conceding seven goals in these fixtures.
On Tuchel’s decision to field the 32-year-old on the left side, the newspaper said: ‘With the change Tuchel sought to protect his team, but ended up unguarded by Christensen’s wing, whom Vinicius beat in the first two goals for Ancelotti’s team.’
Things went from bad to worse for the hosts when Mendy’s error allowed Benzema to capitalise to help Real Madrid score the third goal of the tie. After conceding in the second half, AS state the Premier League side were ‘completely unsettled’ and Tuchel’s side ‘was shipwrecked at Stamford Bridge’.
After being critical of Tuchel and his tactics, AS also had a dig at Mendy and compared him to Liverpool’s German goalkeeper.
They stated: ‘To all this we must add the tremendous error of Edouard Mendy. After Karius, Ulreich and Donnarumma, the enthusiastic pressure from Benzema already has another victim on his resume.’
