Cranky Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel snapped at a reporter and then claimed his Champions League defence was over following a miserable 3-1 loss to Real Madrid on Thursday (AEST).
Karim Benzema scored his second straight hat-trick in the competition as Madrid bossed the first leg of the quarter-final from start to finish in front of a stunned Stamford Bridge crowd.
And a glaring Tuchel was in no mood to search for positives as his post-match interview with BT Sport’s Des Kelly appeared to get lost in translation.
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“You’re a little bit downcast now but you’re still going to battle on, there’s still a chance?” Kelly asked the German coach.
“Sorry? Downcast?” a confused Tuchel replied.
“Downcast, you look a bit fed up…” Kelly continued.
“Well what do you expect, to stand here and smile?” Tuchel snapped.
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Former Manchester United goalkeeper Mark Bosnich was surprised by Tuchel’s intensity in the Stan Sport studio.
“I don’t think that reporter’s going to ask questions of that ilk after a loss (again),” Bosnich said.
“He’s very upset – he must have the hit the roof at halftime because it was a shocking performance. That was a press conference where I think he’s got deeper worries.
“A few little deeper issues that he perhaps never thought he would come to at Chelsea with the way things collapsed.”
An all-English semi-final is now looking less likely.
The winner of this quarter-final will face Manchester City or Atletico Madrid, with City ahead 1-0 after the first leg at the Etihad Stadium.
Asked whether his quarter-final was still alive, Tuchel sharply replied: “No.”
It showed his frustration after his team’s hold on third place in the Premier League was loosened by a surprising 4-1 loss to Brentford on Sunday (AEST).
“We have to find our level back,” Tuchel said, “but we don’t know where it is.”
The most significant action might not even have been on the field for Chelsea.
Los Angeles Dodgers baseball co-owner Todd Boehly flew in for the game as the tussle to buy the team from sanctioned Russian owner Roman Abramovich intensifies, with the contenders whittled down in recent weeks.
It just adds to the uncertainty hanging over the west London team.
“I will not accept it as an excuse,” Tuchel said.
There was a surprise in Thursday’s other quarterfinal with Bayern Munich losing 1-0 at Villarreal.
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