Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos was a major absentee for the Spanish La Liga giants in the Champions League semi-final first leg clash with Chelsea on Tuesday night due to injury.
He was in the stands as Real Madrid settled for a 1-1 draw at home to the Blues. The Premier League outfit could have gotten more than a draw from the game if the players made better attacking decisions. German attacker Timo Werner should have given Chelsea the lead inside ten minutes if he was clinical in front of goal.
American international Christian Pulisic showed Werner the way in the art of finishing with the opener four minutes after the glaring miss from Werner. A long ball out of the Chelsea defence from Antonio Rudiger caused issues for the Real Madrid backline after finding its way to Pulisic who produced a good finish to give Chelsea the lead.
Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has been in sensational form for his club this season and he was responsible for dragging Madrid back into the game just before the half hour mark. He had warned the Blues defence with a long range shot that clipped the outside of the post before his equaliser arrived around the half hour mark.
Madrid benefited from the lack of Chelsea defending off a corner kick and Benzema was on hand to produce a smart finish in the Blues box. With the goal, the Frenchman took his tally to 71 goals in the Champions League and level with Real Madrid legend Raul Gonzalez in fourth spot on the list of the leading marksmen in the history of the competition.