Real Madrid’s 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge completed a 4-0 aggregate victory and saw the Spanish giants advance to the Champions League semi-finals for the 11th time in 13 seasons.
Chelsea, meanwhile, does not know when it will compete on this elite stage again.
Rodrygo scored twice in the second half to kill off a spirited Chelsea fightback that lasted the best part of an hour, but ultimately ended in a fourth straight loss under interim manager Frank Lampard.
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Madrid can dream of more glory in a competition it has won a record 14 times, with either Manchester City or Bayern Munich to come in the next round.
It is a different story for Chelsea as the London club’s miserable campaign is now destined to end trophy-less.
Defeat left Lampard fielding questions about where the 2021 European champions go after a troubled start under new owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital and the prospect of no European competition next season.
“People will make a lot about this season for Chelsea because we’ve had so much success,” Lampard said. “The reality is this club is going to be back, but it will take work.”
Chelsea sits 11th in the Premier League and 17 points off the top four despite spending around $935 million on new signings.
Lampard’s arrival after Graham Potter was fired this month has not prompted an upturn in form, with his team scoring just once in its four losses since his appointment.
“I don’t recognise my club,” former Chelsea star Didier Drogba told Canal+. “It’s no longer the same club. There is a new owner and a new vision. Of course, we try to compare it with what happened during the [Roman] Abramovich era where a lot of players were brought in, but the decisions were very intelligent.
“Bringing in players like Petr Cech, Andriy Shevchenko, Herman Crespo, Michael Essien, Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda, and I go on. It was done to win titles. They are players with a certain experience. The strategy is now different; we bet on young players.”
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That lack of cutting edge was evident again in the quarter-finals second leg as Chelsea missed a host of chances.
N’Golo Kante failed to convert clear openings in each half with the score still goalless. And former Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois beat away a close-range effort from Marc Cucurella just before the break.
The home team was made to pay for those misses as Madrid struck twice on the break.
Carlo Ancelotti admitted his team “suffered a lot” before Rodrygo’s goals.
The Brazil forward opened the scoring in the 58th minute when turning in Vinicius Junior’s cutback. He added a second in the 80th, this time after Federico Valverde’s assist.
He might have completed a hat trick if not for a first-half effort hitting the outside of the post.
The home fans headed for the exit in numbers once Rodrygo’s second goal crossed the line.
But they applauded at the end after being given some cause for encouragement as Chelsea pushed Madrid for a large part of the match.
“I think the fans appreciated the performance today,” Lampard said. “Maybe they’ve had moments this season when they are not feeling like that so we have to latch onto that.”
Trailing 2-0 after the last week’s first leg at the Bernabeu, even the most optimistic Chelsea fan must have feared the worst in the second leg.
Many have lost patience after seeing the season unravel, but frustrations were put to one side as they tried to inspire a famous comeback and hope Madrid would crack.
Had golden chances at either end of the first half been taken, then hopes of an unlikely win would have grown. Kante, however, fired wide after a shot by Kai Havertz was blocked and rebounded invitingly for the midfielder.
Cucurella came closer just before the break after connecting with Reece James’ cross at the far post.
On this occasion Courtois, who was booed throughout by Chelsea fans, was down quickly to save.
The visitors had their chances in between those two key moments.
Rodrygo hit the post and Vinicius missed the target from about 6 meters out. Vinicius and Luka Modric also forced saves from Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Kante was presented with another opening early in the second half, but his shot from close range was blocked by Eder Militao.
It was over shortly after that when Rodrygo burst away down the right. His cross should have been converted by Karim Benzema, but when the ball was worked back across goal by Vinicius, Rodrygo was on hand to score.
Vinicius played a big roll in the second goal when breaking on the left and playing in Valverde, who might have shot, himself. Instead he pulled the ball back for Rodrygo to have the simplest of tap-ins.
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