LONDON — Goals by Timo Werner and Mason Mount sent Chelsea into a Champions League final showdown with Manchester City as it outclassed Real Madrid to win, 2-0, for a 3-1 aggregate triumph at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
German striker Werner, who has endured a stuttering first season at Chelsea, put his side in control when he nodded in one of the easiest goals of his career in the 28th minute after fellow German Kai Havertz had struck the bar.
Thirteen-time European champion Real, which had come through each of their last three Champions League semifinal ties, had been second best for much last week’s first leg which ended 1-1.
Even with talisman Sergio Ramos back after missing the home leg, it was outplayed by Thomas Tuchel’s side again as the German continued his stunning impact in west London to become the first coach to reach back-to-back Champions League finals with different clubs.
Chelsea should have killed the game as it created, and wasted, a sackload of chances in a dazzling second-half display.
But Mount got the party started in earnest when he converted from close range in the 86th minute to become the second-youngest English player to score in a Champions League semifinal after Wayne Rooney.
The final in Istanbul will be the second all-English champions League final in three seasons and gives Tuchel, who has transformed Chelsea since replacing Frank Lampard in January, the chance to make up for last season when his Paris Saint-Germain side lost to Bayern Munich.
“We deserved to win. The first half was difficult, they had a lot of possession and made us suffer,” Tuchel said.
“In the second half, 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.
“It is not done yet, we want to go all the way, we arrive in Istanbul to win.”
Real made a confident enough start in its famous white shirts on a night that felt more like January than May with a hailstorm erupting shortly before kickoff. — Reuters
