It is the third consecutive time Madrid and Chelsea meet in the Champions League, with Madrid prevailing at this same stage last season and Chelsea advancing past the Spanish powerhouse in the semi-finals in the previous year.
“There were some good things but the result is the reality,” Lampard told BT Sport.
Champions League quarter-final second leg fixtures
Wednesday, 5am:
- Napoli v AC Milan (AC Milan lead 1-0)
- Chelsea v Real Madrid (Real Madrid lead 2-0)
Thursday, 5am:
- Inter Milan v Benfica (Inter Milan lead 2-0)
- Bayern Munich v Manchester City (Manchester City lead 3-0)
“But I just said to the players that special things can happen at Stamford Bridge. They are a very good team but we have to believe.
The odds will be heavily stacked against a Chelsea side who have now gone four games without scoring a goal and Lampard has one week to try and restore some confidence in attack.
“It’s been a difficult period for the players and I think there’s a bit of a lack of belief,” the club’s record goalscorer said. “They have to understand how good they are and what they can do and maybe we’re a bit short of that at the moment.
“We have to be much more positive in what we’re doing.”
In Wednesday’s other last-eight match-up, AC Milan took a step towards their first Champions League semi-final appearance for 16 years as Ismael Bennacer’s goal earned them a 1-0 win over Napoli.
On a rainy night, Serie A leaders Napoli’s first continental clash with seven-time European champions Milan was also their first appearance in the quarter-finals of Europe’s most prestigious club competition.
Attempting to avenge their 4-0 home defeat by Milan in Serie A this month, Napoli began pressing immediately, but the hosts took the lead five minutes before the interval when Brahim Diaz teed up Bennacer who struck a low shot inside the far post.
Napoli’s situation worsened 16 minutes from time when midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa received a second yellow card for pushing Theo Hernandez.
AC Milan’s Ismael Bennacer celebrates the goal that gave the seven-time European champions the upper hand against Napoli.Credit: AP
The teams will meet again in Naples next week with the winner to play either Inter Milan or Benfica in the semifinals. Inter won the first leg of their quarter-final 2-0.
Anguissa will be suspended for that match, as will Kim Min-jae after the defender was booked at San Siro.
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“I don’t know what to say about the refereeing, it was something incredible,” Napoli midfielder Eljif Elmas said. “He booked all our players, they committed the same type of fouls but didn’t get yellow cards.
“It’s something I’ve never seen before. It was also because of that that at a certain point we became nervous on the field.”
AP, Reuters
Watch every match of the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League on Stan Sport.
