Rudiger rues cup final defeat as Blues exit looms
Toni Rudiger is gutted to be leaving Chelsea without one last winner's medal after Liverpool made Thomas Tuchel's side pay on penalties in another cup final.
Having lost February's Carabao Cup showpiece to Jurgen Klopp's Reds on spot-kicks following an engaging, scoreless battle, history repeated itself as the sides met back at Wembley vying for FA Cup glory.
Neither side could find the breakthrough across 120 minutes, with Alisson Becker denying Mason Mount before Kostas Tsimikas fired home to seal Liverpool a 6-5 suddendeath shootout triumph.
It was Chelsea's third FA Cup final loss in as many years and compounded February's Carabao Cup frustrations for Rudiger.
"I think it was a good game like the Carabao Cup final," the centre-back said. "We had chances, they had chances. But at the end of the day we know that penalties are always a lottery. We lost. At the end of the day it's about winning.
"Personally for myself it's the thirdtime(ihavelostafinal)so you can't always say unlucky, unlucky, unlucky."
Rudiger was part of Chelsea's triumphant FA Cup side in 2018, then went on to taste glory in the Europa League and Champions League.
There were also wins in this season's Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup, yet this wasnottheendinghedreamed of as he prepares to join Real Madrid in the summer.
"It's been five years as normal with ups and downs, but with a lot of positive things," the Germany international said.
"That's why I'm even more frustrated because I wanted to have a different ending.”