CHELSEA – BORUSSIA DORTMUND 2–0 (2-1 on aggregate):
Chelsea are through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League after Tuesday’s home meeting with German Borussia Dortmund.
It didn’t happen without drama. After Raheem Sterling had given the hosts the lead just before the break, it was to be chaotic straight after the break. Dortmund’s Marius Wolf got the ball in his hand inside the field and after much back and forth, a penalty was awarded.
Large protests
It put Kai Havertz in the post, but since several players had run into the box too early, the German got another opportunity.
It was in the box. Both after the handball and the penalty miss, Dortmund’s players were furious with referee Danny Makkelie.
Even after the referee had looked at the TV screen and made a decision, the appeal from the signal yellows continued.
That made TV 2 expert Brede Hangeland react.
– What’s the point in continuing to discuss? This is more about disrupting Chelsea’s penalty shootout, he said.
They may also have succeeded in that since Havertz first missed, before he got a second chance from the chalk mark.
– There are astonishing scenes we are witnessing at Stamford Bridge. There are incidents and controversies. But Kai Havertz, wow! He put the penalty in almost exactly the same spot, just a bit more to the left and he’s given Chelsea the lead,” Arsenal hero Lee Dixon told the BBC.
Expert: – Shocked
Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham was asked about the penalty situation after the match and was clear in his speech.
– It’s ridiculous, said the highly sought-after midfielder.
The statement of the Liverpool-linked star, however, caused TV 2 expert Jesper Mathisen to be stumped.
– The players don’t always know the rules. I am surprised and shocked by it every single time, he said in the studio.
– According to the regulations, this penalty must be retaken, he added.
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Canceled scoring
Chelsea created a number of great chances in the first half, against a Dortmund that did little offensively.
However, the blues had to burn several difficult chances, before they finally got a hole in the boil towards the end of the half.
Kai Havertz came incredibly close to putting Chelsea ahead after 28 minutes. The German fired a half-volley from around 15 meters and the ball hit the post, before it rolled along the line, skimmed the other post and finally rolled out over the dead line.
Keeper Alexander Mayer probably understood little of what was going on behind him, but unbelievably escaped the horror.
Around ten minutes later, Raheem Sterling was played through. He put the ball straight at keeper Mayer, but the return, which Havertz got hold of, was superbly saved by the German star. However, Sterling was offside up front.
good ble finte
Soon after, Chelsea got new opportunities after a free kick from Ben Chilwell, but this time the ball did not roll the hosts’ way either.
Take the Premier League quiz:
Just before the break, it should still succeed. Sterling first missed when he was going to finish, but the miss instead became a kind of feint when he regained control of the ball. On the second try, he made no mistake and sent the home team ahead.
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As mentioned, Dortmund did not have much to offer in the first half, but a free kick by Marco Reus after around a quarter of an hour, led to Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa having to take action. The Spaniard kept the finish from the visitors out with a tiger jump.
Thus, the teams were the same distance after three out of a total of four innings in this match had been completed.
VAR drama
Shortly after the break, Chelsea were awarded a penalty. Dortmund back Marius Wolf got the ball in his hand after a cross from Ben Chilwell and after a long VAR check and a look at the screen, referee Danny Makkelie finally chose to point to the chalk mark.
The drama was still not quite over. Kai Havertz put the penalty neatly into the post, but since several players ran into the penalty area too early, it was ruled that the penalty should be taken again. On attempt number two, Havertz put the ball into the back of the net.
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Dortmund became far more offensive after the 2-0 score and both Jude Bellingham and Marius Wolf had good chances to score. Bellingham had a chance just outside, while Kepa was in place and stopped the finish from Wolf.
Chelsea were not harmless either and after 76 minutes Conor Gallagher put the ball in the net after Sterling had first run free, but again the Chelsea attacker was offside and the refereeing team correctly canceled for the second time in the match.
Although Dortmund moved up a lot of people towards the end, the home team held on and are thus further in the Champions League.
