“Special things can happen at Stamford Bridge” – Frank Lampard delivers Chelsea verdict following 2-0 loss vs Real Madrid

Frank Lampard has delivered his verdict after Chelsea were defeated 2-0 by Real Madrid on Wednesday night.

The Blues suffered a disappointing loss in the opening leg of their Champions League Quarter Final clash with Carlo Ancelotti’s side at the Santiago Bernabeu.

In the opening 45, Real Madrid took control but Chelsea looked to create opportunities on the counter-attack, unfortunately for the visitors, they found themselves 1-0 down after 21 minutes. A Vinicius Junior effort was saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga, but fell into the path of Karim Benzema who made no mistake.

While the west London side managed to keep out Madrid for the rest of the first half and early into the second half, they made the task at hand a lot more difficult when Ben Chilwell was sent off for bringing down Rodrygo who was through on goal.

Things got worse for the away side when Marco Asensio doubled the lead from a smart corner routine.

Chelsea were unable to get a goal back, but did not allow Los Blancos to extend their lead any further. Although it was a tough result, things could have been worse.

READ MORE: Real Madrid 2-0 Chelsea: Blues down but not out after Benzema and Asensio make the difference

The big problem for the Blues at the moment is goalscoring, they had failed to find the net in their previous three games leading up to this one and that trend continued against Madrid.

Following the game, Lampard shared his thoughts on the defeat and reflected on the efforts put in by his players, he said: “I was proud of the 10 men. The disappointing thing is that you give away a set-piece by switching off for the second goal.

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“There’s a little bit of a lack of belief. I think the players need to understand how good they are and what they can do. Maybe we’re a bit short on that at the minute.”

Looking ahead to the reverse fixture next Tuesday, Chelsea will still be hopeful of pulling something special off when they play host to Madrid.

Speaking on this, Lampard said: “The result is a reality but I just said to the players that special things can happen at Stamford Bridge. They’re a very good team but we have to believe.”

Before their contest in the Champions League, the Blues face Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League on Saturday and need to pick up the win to carry some momentum into the second leg.