Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel said his side should have wrapped up their Champions League semi-final first leg with Real Madrid in the first half on Tuesday and rued missed chances in the 1-1 draw that could have put the game beyond their opponents.

US&nbsp;forward Christian Pulisic fired Chelsea in front in the 14th minute in the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium, and the visitors created plenty more opportunities in the first half as 13-times winners Real struggled to make any inroads at the other end.

Yet Chelsea's inability to score a second away goal proved costly as Karim Benzema's fine effort levelled things up before the break with his side's only shot on target in the opening period.

"I have a feeling we should have won the first half and we could have perhaps decided this game in the first half an hour when we were playing so strong," Tuchel told the BBC.

"The second half was a tactical game and you could feel we only had two days in between two away games which made it physically and mentally demanding and you could feel it in the decision making.

"We suffered a bit and an extra day would have been nice."

Timo Werner failed to beat Thibaut Courtois from close range early in the game and Tuchel was left frustrated by the German striker's inability to put away clear chances.

"He missed a big one at West Ham United (on Saturday) and now he's missed a big one here, that doesn't help," Tuchel told a news conference. "It doesn't help crying about it or regretting it.

"There are millions of people who have harder things to deal with than chances that you miss... I don't feel we're pointing fingers but of course the strikers want to score.

"This is the highest level and when you have a good half an hour like we did... then yes we wish for more composure and more precision in the decision making and finishing."

Tuchel continued his fine record against Zinedine Zidane's side in Europe's premier club competition - the German is the only manager to face Real as many as five times without ever losing in Champions League history.

Having scored the away goal, Chelsea are in the driving seat to reach a first Champions League final since 2012 ahead of next week's return leg at Stamford Bridge.

"It is just the first half (of the tie), we knew against Real Madrid it would be tough," Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta told BT Sport.

"We started with courage, we had to perform at our best level. The semi-final of a Champions League asks you to play your best. We missed that last pass where we could choose the best option.

"But in the overall analysis we performed well. As a unit I think we are all improving and all growing."

Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel said his side should have wrapped up their Champions League semi-final first leg with Real Madrid in the first half on Tuesday and rued missed chances in the 1-1 draw that could have put the game beyond their opponents.

Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel said his side should have wrapped up their Champions League semi-final first leg with Real Madrid in the first half on Tuesday and rued missed chances in the 1-1 draw that could have put the game beyond their opponents. US forward Christian Pulisic fired Chelsea in front in the 14th minute in the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium, and the visitors created plenty more opportunities in the first half as 13-times winners Real struggled to make any inroads at the other end. Yet Chelsea's inability to score a second away goal proved costly as Karim Benzema's fine effort levelled things up before the break with his side's only shot on target in the opening period. "I have a feeling we should have won the first half and we could have perhaps decided this game in the first half an hour when we were playing so strong," Tuchel told the BBC. "The second half was a tactical game and you could feel we only had two days in between two away games which made it physically and mentally demanding and you could feel it in the decision making. "We suffered a bit and an extra day would have been nice." Timo Werner failed to beat Thibaut Courtois from close range early in the game and Tuchel was left frustrated by the German striker's inability to put away clear chances. "He missed a big one at West Ham United (on Saturday) and now he's missed a big one here, that doesn't help," Tuchel told a news conference. "It doesn't help crying about it or regretting it. "There are millions of people who have harder things to deal with than chances that you miss... I don't feel we're pointing fingers but of course the strikers want to score. "This is the highest level and when you have a good half an hour like we did... then yes we wish for more composure and more precision in the decision making and finishing." Tuchel continued his fine record against Zinedine Zidane's side in Europe's premier club competition - the German is the only manager to face Real as many as five times without ever losing in Champions League history. Having scored the away goal, Chelsea are in the driving seat to reach a first Champions League final since 2012 ahead of next week's return leg at Stamford Bridge. "It is just the first half (of the tie), we knew against Real Madrid it would be tough," Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta told BT Sport. "We started with courage, we had to perform at our best level. The semi-final of a Champions League asks you to play your best. We missed that last pass where we could choose the best option. "But in the overall analysis we performed well. As a unit I think we are all improving and all growing."

Champions League: Chelsea's Tuchel rues missed chances that let Real off the hook

Chelsea held their own away to Real Madrid but had to settle for a 1-1 draw in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final first leg after Karim Benzema scored an acrobatic goal to cancel out an early strike from Christian Pulisic.

Chelsea made a bright start in heavy rain at the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium and deservedly went ahead when U.S. forward Pulisic rounded Thibaut Courtois to score in the 14th minute.

Thirteen times European Cup winners Real looked ragged and short on ideas but pulled level in the 29th with a moment of true class from the talismanic Benzema, who controlled a knockdown before volleying into the roof of the net.

Chelsea looked the better side in the second half as well but could not break down Real again and then had to withstand some late pressure from the hosts, who visit Stamford Bridge in the second leg on May 5 looking to reach the final for a fifth time in eight years.

Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel was frustrated his side could not make the most of their early dominance.

"We started the game very well, we were aggressive, we showed courage and quality, we deserved to win the first half. Unfortunately they scored from a set-piece, there was nothing else from them for us to defend," he said.

"It was a disappointing result at halftime the second half was a very tactical game. A bit more composure and precision in front of goal and we would have won the first half but we have to live with 1-1."

This was the first ever Champions League meeting between the two sides, who were both named as founding clubs in the controversial European Super League last week before Chelsea hastily withdrew from the competition.

It was far from an idyllic setting for such an occasion, played at the tiny, empty arena located at Real's training ground and the non-stop rain made it harder for either side to create flowing passing moves.

<h2>UNSTOPPABLE STRIKE</h2>

The visitors had the first clear opening when Pulisic nodded across to Timo Werner but former Chelsea keeper Courtois thwarted the German striker with his legs.

Pulisic took no chances the next time he got into the area, controlling a long ball from Antonio Rudiger and dribbling around Courtois before calmly passing it into the net, despite the efforts of Raphael Varane and Nacho to block the shot.

Benzema carved out Madrid's first chance through his own efforts, swivelling away from a Chelsea defender on the edge of the area before aiming for the top corner and hitting the post.

The Frenchman had better fortune with his next attempt, controlling Eder Militao's header following a corner before unleashing an unstoppable strike, scoring his 28th goal of the season and his 71st in the Champions League, joining Real great Raul as the competition's joint-fourth top scorer of all time.

The second half was more cagey as the spirit Chelsea had showed early in the match dried up as they tired, although they still managed to control the game while barely allowing Real a sniff until the end.

Real defender Marcelo admitted his side had underperformed but was confident about their chances of making it to the final in Istanbul on May 29.

"We knew that could happen but there's another game to come, we're still feeling good and we know what we have to do, the return leg will be different."

"We didn't dictate the pace of the game and had to adapt but we're feeling calm."

Chelsea held their own away to Real Madrid but had to settle for a 1-1 draw in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final first leg after Karim Benzema scored an acrobatic goal to cancel out an early strike from Christian Pulisic.

Chelsea held their own away to Real Madrid but had to settle for a 1-1 draw in Tuesday's Champions League semi-final first leg after Karim Benzema scored an acrobatic goal to cancel out an early strike from Christian Pulisic. Chelsea made a bright start in heavy rain at the Alfredo di Stefano Stadium and deservedly went ahead when U.S. forward Pulisic rounded Thibaut Courtois to score in the 14th minute. Thirteen times European Cup winners Real looked ragged and short on ideas but pulled level in the 29th with a moment of true class from the talismanic Benzema, who controlled a knockdown before volleying into the roof of the net. Chelsea looked the better side in the second half as well but could not break down Real again and then had to withstand some late pressure from the hosts, who visit Stamford Bridge in the second leg on May 5 looking to reach the final for a fifth time in eight years. Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel was frustrated his side could not make the most of their early dominance. "We started the game very well, we were aggressive, we showed courage and quality, we deserved to win the first half. Unfortunately they scored from a set-piece, there was nothing else from them for us to defend," he said. "It was a disappointing result at halftime the second half was a very tactical game. A bit more composure and precision in front of goal and we would have won the first half but we have to live with 1-1." This was the first ever Champions League meeting between the two sides, who were both named as founding clubs in the controversial European Super League last week before Chelsea hastily withdrew from the competition. It was far from an idyllic setting for such an occasion, played at the tiny, empty arena located at Real's training ground and the non-stop rain made it harder for either side to create flowing passing moves. UNSTOPPABLE STRIKE The visitors had the first clear opening when Pulisic nodded across to Timo Werner but former Chelsea keeper Courtois thwarted the German striker with his legs. Pulisic took no chances the next time he got into the area, controlling a long ball from Antonio Rudiger and dribbling around Courtois before calmly passing it into the net, despite the efforts of Raphael Varane and Nacho to block the shot. Benzema carved out Madrid's first chance through his own efforts, swivelling away from a Chelsea defender on the edge of the area before aiming for the top corner and hitting the post. The Frenchman had better fortune with his next attempt, controlling Eder Militao's header following a corner before unleashing an unstoppable strike, scoring his 28th goal of the season and his 71st in the Champions League, joining Real great Raul as the competition's joint-fourth top scorer of all time. The second half was more cagey as the spirit Chelsea had showed early in the match dried up as they tired, although they still managed to control the game while barely allowing Real a sniff until the end. Real defender Marcelo admitted his side had underperformed but was confident about their chances of making it to the final in Istanbul on May 29. "We knew that could happen but there's another game to come, we're still feeling good and we know what we have to do, the return leg will be different." "We didn't dictate the pace of the game and had to adapt but we're feeling calm."

Champions League: Benzema stunner for Real frustrates impressive Chelsea

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Champions League: Chelsea's Tuchel rues missed chances that let Real off the hook

Champions League: Benzema stunner for Real frustrates impressive Chelsea