Ben Chilwell, Chelsea defender has taken to his social media handle to apologise to his teammates and supporters following his red card in the UEFA Champions League against Real Madrid.
The England international was sent off by referee Francois Letexier in the second half of the game against the Spanish powerhouse for fouling on goal-bound Rodrygo.
The incident began with a mistake by substitute Marc Cucurella, who appeared to be having trouble adjusting after coming on for Kalidou Koulibaly.
To keep the game alive, Frank Lampard made plenty of substitutions after the visitors were down to 10 men, effectively ending any attacking danger they might have had.
The Blues already faced a tough battle heading into Tuesday’s return leg at Stamford Bridge after falling behind to Karim Benzema’s strike in the 59th minute and then allowing a second goal to Marco Asensio.
The 26-year-old was the last man when he fouled Rodrygo, who was at the edge of the penalty area, and the play was ruled to have prevented a goal.
The red card means that Ben Chilwell will be unable to feature in the second leg of the quarter-final, which carries all of the importance remaining for Chelsea this season.
Although it was Chilwell who received the red card, many Chelsea supporters held Cucurella responsible, who came on at 55 minutes for the injured Kalidou Koulibaly.
The Spaniard’s poor placement was called into question after only a few minutes on the field, as he appeared to be fooled by Rodrygo’s decoy run just before Chilwell’s tackle.
Despite having poor form in the English Premier League, the Blues have always had a chance to shine in Europe.
The absence of Ben Chilwell next week, however, will be substantial. Since coming back from injury, he has been one of their most reliable Chelsea players so far this season.
Ben Chilwell has taken to his Twitter account to offer his apology for what he believes was a mistake made in a split decision.
Chilwell said in a statement that reads; “Sleep on it and just want to apologise to my teammates and the fans. I decided in a split second and it was a mistake. I always give everything to the team and I will continue to do so. Thank you for your support”.
It would be exciting to see if Frank Lampard decides to start a different left back for this weekend’s Premier League game against Brighton to get another option up to speed in time for next week’s second leg.
What’s next for Chelsea?
The Blues will be in action again in the English Premier League on Saturday, 15th of April, 2023, when they will host Brighton & Hove Albion at Stamford Bridge.
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