Thomas Tuchel became the first manager to reach back-to-back Champions League finals with two different clubs as Chelsea defeated Real Madrid 2-0 to set up an all-English final against Manchester City.
Despite wasting numerous goalscoring opportunities, the Blues looked comfortable throughout the game, as goals from Timo Werner and Mason Mount helped Chelsea overcome the Spanish side.
As expected, Chelsea had less possession compared to the visitors, and needed two vital saves from Edouard Mendy to relieve some early pressure. Speaking to reporters after the win, a jubilant Thomas Tuchel admitted his side missed plenty of chances to settle the game. The Chelsea Head Coach added “We deserved to win. The first half was difficult, they had a lot of possession and made us suffer, but every ball from us was dangerous.”
“We were dangerous with counter attacks. We never lost the hunger, the desire to defend. In the second half, it was an even better structure to defend. We could have scored so much earlier, so much more to be safe, but now is no time for criticism.”
“It is a fantastic achievement and big congratulations to the team. To hang in there, even if you miss big chances, you never lose focus. It was a huge performance. I am very happy that we achieved this. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to live my life in football. This passion as a profession, I am more than grateful. It is not done yet, we want to go all the way, we arrive in Istanbul to win!“
Mason Mount, who put in a solid performance, echoed his manager’s feelings and said “I can’t put it into words at the moment. It was a great performance. We should have had about five, but the most important thing is that we won. To get that goal late on, you could see by the celebrations how massive it was, giving us breathing space in the last five minutes.”
“We gave it everything, we had that desire, we wanted to win. I haven’t won anything yet, but we have two massive cup finals, and hopefully we can win. The final is going to be a stunning game.”
Source: Guardian
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