Kai Havertz still provided a little hope - but in the end Chelsea FC is on the brink of elimination in the Champions League: The defending champion around team manager Thomas Tuchel won the eagerly awaited quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid 1: 3 (1: 2 ) lost, next Tuesday in Spain the Blues now need a win by two goals to reach extra time.
National player Havertz prevented a hopeless endeavor with his goal (40th).
The outstanding Karim Benzema (21st/24th/46th) led Madrid to victory with three goals in the London rain, Toni Kroos' team now holds all the trumps.
For the hosts, on the other hand, it was a first defeat in two respects: Tuchel and Chelsea FC had a flawless European Cup record against Real until Wednesday evening.
Even before the game, the English were by no means carefree.
The much-needed change of ownership has still not been completed, the club has been in limbo since the sanctions against Roman Abramovich.
Last Saturday, the 4-1 defeat against FC Brentford also shocked the environment.
At the beginning Chelsea tried to make a determined appearance, Havertz had the first good chance after five minutes from an acute angle.
On a wet pitch, however, the defensive around national player Antonio Rüdiger Real couldn't get a grip on it in the early stages.
First, Vinicius Junior failed on the bar (10th), a little later Benzema silenced the fans at Stamford Bridge: The Frenchman used two extremely demanding headers - and Chelsea visibly struggled to regain their composure in the following minutes.
Only shortly before the break, European champion Jorginho brought a cross from the half field to Havertz, the German headed.
Immediately after the restart, however, Edouard Mendy stole any momentum from the English: a harmless liberation hit landed at Chelsea's goalkeeper, but he didn't bring the ball cleanly to Rüdiger.
Benzema jumped in and hit the empty goal.