Champions League: Thomas Tuchel wanted 'a fantastic script' from Chelsea; Real Madrid gave it to him

The reigning champions did all that could have been asked of them but fell just short against Real Madrid

Thomas Tuchel had challenged his Chelsea side to deliver "nothing else than a fantastic script." He could not argue that they failed to deliver. The issue was rather that the reigning champions were not destined to end this great journey as its heroes. This was to be another tale in the enduring romance between Real Madrid and the Champions League. Chelsea were to be the fall guys.

The clues were there, not just in the enduring excellence of match-winner Karim Benzema, who will doubtless believe that this particular screenplay ends with him hoisting the Champions League trophy in Paris, but the familiar face of Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian would ultimately be the one that stood between his former side and a place in the semifinals, a string of fine saves allowing Madrid to cling on to a 3-2 defeat on the night that saw them advance 5-4 on aggregate.

This was nothing like the Chelsea team we have come to know on the European stage. On their run to Champions League glory last season, they settled into a groove Tuchel rarely had to break them out of. Earn yourself a favorable scoreline in the first leg, throttle the life out of the game in the second. It was the opposite of drama. For neutrals who followed them last season, it was a masterclass in tedium.