Chelsea FC qualify for the final four stage of the Champions League for the first time in seven years after winning 2 – 1 on aggregate against FC Porto.
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An easy 2 – 0 victory in the first leg saw Chelsea grabbing the upper hand going into the crucial second leg of the UCL Quarter Final. Thomas Tuchel made three changes to his side that played in the first leg with Christensen, Timo Werner, and the injured Kovacic making way for Silva, Kante, and Pulisic. As for Porto, the only change was the return of their main man Sergio Oliveira who missed the first leg through an injury.
In terms of attack, the first half didn’t enthrall fans with too much, with both sides failing to have a shot on target. Going in at half-time at 0-0, Porto had one of the best chances coming from Corona whose one-on-one effort saw the ball float just above the crossbar. Chelsea didn’t cause much trouble to the Porto backline in the first half but were happy going into the dressing room with their two-goal cushion intact from the first leg.
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The second half saw both sides get better in terms of attacking prowess. But the Chelsea backline did well and showed what experience could do in a game like this as they managed to keep the Porto frontline away from the Chelsea goal until the very last minute of the stoppage time. Nanu’s curling cross from the right flank floated towards Mehdi Taremi who went for the overhead kick and hit it as sweetly as he could. Chelsea’s defenders and goalkeeper Mendy, could do nothing but watch this moment of brilliance from the Iranian striker and many believe that the goal was a Puskas Award contender. Christian Pulisic was awarded the Man of the Match for his brilliant attacking display in the second half. The young American also equaled Messi’s record for drawing the most number of fouls in a Champions League game (11 fouls).
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The Blues put in a good performance to keep Porto at Bay and win the game 2 – 1 on aggregate and qualify for the Champions League semifinal for the first time in seven years. They face Spanish giants Real Madrid next, who dispatched of Liverpool, but for now, Chelsea’s main focus would be the FA Cup semifinal against Manchester City on 17th April.
[Image Credit: Chelsea FC]
Shashank Iyer