Former Chelsea player Jason Cundy has blamed goalkeeper Edouard Mendy for the team’s exit from the Champions League at the expense of Real Madrid.
The Blues will not defend their title this season after they were eliminated in the quarter-finals 5-4 on aggregate, despite their 3-2 win at Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday night.
In the first meeting which Los Blancos won 3-1 at the Bridge, the 30-year-old Senegal star was partly at fault for the third goal, with Karim Benzema capitalising on the error to find the back of the net early on in the second half.
The 52-year-old Cundy, who managed 41 appearances for Chelsea as a defender and scored two goals, has maintained the game against Madrid was lost in the first leg.
“Real Madrid find a way to go through. The tie was lost at Stamford Bridge, that’s where we lost it,” Cundy said as quoted by talkSPORT. “The third goal, the gift that Mendy gave them, ultimately is the goal that cost us.
“The others have either been a brilliant piece of skill with someone setting up Benzema or Benzema scoring. He scored four goals in the tie, and one of them was an absolute gift.”
Cundy has, however, praised the home team for their spirited fight which saw them come out winners at Santiago Bernabeu.
“Absolutely devastated. We were brilliant tonight, you can’t have asked for any more than to go to Real Madrid and put three goals behind them,” Cundy continued.
“We did have chances [to win the game]. They were [shocking] and Man City will tear them apart. We scored four against them and we were desperately unlucky with the Marcos Alonso goal as well.
“You can’t complain as they are the laws.
“They got away with one tonight, Real Madrid. They didn’t start playing until their first goal of the game, that changed the game a little bit. That deflated us and they knew they were then back in the tie. We had chances at Stamford Bridge and tonight.
“You can’t win every year. We went out on our shield tonight, but ultimately Stamford Bridge cost us. We were dreadful against Real Madrid in the first leg and I think Thomas [Tuchel] looking back will do things differently.
“Tonight he got it right.”
Chelsea and Mendy will now turn their focus to the FA Cup, where they are due to face Crystal Palace in the semi-finals on April 17 at Wembley Stadium.