Two penalties for the Spaniards
Juventus Turin surprisingly lost to Villarreal in the round of 16 of the Champions League. The Italians lost to the Spanish representative at home 0:3 (0:0), in the first leg both teams had separated 1:1. This time Gerard Moreno (78′) scored the goals from the penalty spot, Pau Torres (85′) and Arnaut Danjuma (90’+2) also from the penalty spot for the guests, who are in the quarter-finals for the third time in the club’s history.
Pulisic & Azpilicueta come from behind: Chelsea secure progress in Lille
In addition to the Spaniards, Chelsea also secured progress at LOSC Lille on Wednesday evening. Facing an uncertain future economically, on the other hand on track in sport: the financially stricken top English club easily reached the quarter-finals despite the severe sanctions imposed by the British government. Coach Thomas Tuchel’s team won 2-1 (1-1) in the round of 16 second leg on Wednesday. Chelsea won the first leg 2-0. The Turkish national player Burak Yilmaz (38th) initially gave the hosts the lead with a hand penalty. Before the break, former Dortmund player Christian Pulisic (45′ + 3′) equalized for the favorites, and César Azpilicueta (71′) followed suit in the second half.
Regardless, the situation at Chelsea remains tense. The fact that the Blues are under financial pressure was hardly noticeable on the pitch. Tuchel’s team, which started with German internationals Kai Havertz and Antonio Rüdiger, controlled the action early on and let the ball and opponents run free. Only once did Chelsea make a mistake with consequences: Because Jorginho fended off the ball in his own penalty area with his forearm, the referee decided on a penalty after viewing the video images. Yilmaz converted confidently. There was little hope of a surprise for the French because Pulisic struck just a few minutes later. After a wonderful pass from Jorginho, the American shot the ball into the far corner to equalize. Although Lille were now pushing for the lead again, the visitors scored again: Azpilicuete kneed the final score.
Lewandowski moves up to 1: Best Champions League goalscorers 2021/22
Nevertheless, it is now far from clear how things will continue with Chelsea. Due to the sanctions against club owner Roman Abramovich, the Londoners are not allowed to transfer players, sell tickets and have had to close all fan shops. As a result, Chelsea were able to take fewer staff with them than usual after Lille. Although some prospective buyers have already reported, many question marks remain.
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