Modric: 'Chelsea are my toughest opponent'

"I can’t describe the game. We were dead. I can’t say we played ‘bad’ but they had great chances. But we never gave up," Luka Modric said after the game.

"Chelsea have been my toughest opponent.

"Chelsea scored three good goals, maybe the first one was a lucky deflection. They created chances and used it well.

"I watch them a lot because of my friend Mateo [Kovacic]. They are a very tough, physical team, very compact. We knew it would be tough."

Chelsea defeated Madrid 3-2 at the Bernabeu but lost 5-4 on aggregate. Modric was named Man of the Match in the return leg as he put in a fantastic display, providing a brilliant assist to Rodrygo.

And it's a big compliment for Chelsea than the veteran Croatian names the Blues the toughest opponent he's ever faced.