Chelsea is not a very scoring team. Not at all. He averages less than one goal per game in the Premier, in which he has only been able to score 24 goals, which puts him tenth in the standings. This Tuesday, for the first time since December 27, his fans were able to celebrate two goals in the same match to eliminate Borussia Dortmund at Stamford Bridge, who did not know defeat in 2023.
The London team is the spitting image that money does not bring happiness, nor does it bring success closer nor does it ensure the show. Todd Boehly, its new owner, has spent a million pounds in less than a year without great joy and various hardships. More than 500 million invested finally got the first reward on Tuesday night when Chelsea got into the top eight on the continent.
Graham Potter's wardrobe has changed so much that in 20 months only three of the starting footballers played in the final in which the blues won their second Champions League, in Porto. The two wingers, James and Chilwell, and Havertz, scorer of the goal that defeated City, were the only ones holding on.
But neither João Félix, substituted in the 66th minute, nor Mudryk, a substitute who did not play, nor Enzo Fernández, the most expensive in the winter market, who was also replaced, nor Cucurella, Koulibaly or Fofana gave the ticket to Chelsea. It had to be two of the old ones, two of those who were already there, who were key to coming back from 1-0 in the first leg and eliminating Borussia Dortmund. The left-handed Chilwell assisted Sterling in the first of the night and the same player caused a penalty in another of his crosses by Wolf in the first play of the second half.
For his part, the German Havertz was in charge of that maximum penalty, not without suspense. The striker's first shot hit the post. But the referee ordered the shot to be repeated because several players entered the penalty area before the kick. Havertz deceived Meyer again, who was defending the Borussia goal due to Kobel's injury.
But it is also that several details fell on Chelsea's side at Stamford Bridge. Already on the way out he saw how Brandt, one of the fittest footballers of his rival, was injured. Later, despite so much disbursement and waste, it was Kepa who stopped the Germans. The Basque showed off with two great stretches in a free kick from Reus as soon as he started and in a close shot from Wolf. Bellingham, in his momentary return to England, was not decisive and missed a point-blank goal.
