Chelsea snaps to life, bounces Dortmund to reach Champions League quarters
Chelsea sealed a place in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals by beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 (2-1 on aggregate) on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge.
Raheem Sterling scored just before halftime and Kai Havertz made the most of a second chance at an early-second half penalty.
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Dortmund led 1-0 after one leg through Karim Adeyemi, but Chelsea boss Graham Potter insisted that his team was very good in the game, just wasteful.
Chelsea joins Benfica in the hat for the last eight, while Dortmund refocuses itself on their pursuit of the Bundesliga crown.
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Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund player ratings: Stars of the Show
Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella: Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta was out and Benoit Badiashile ineligible, so the back three was a bit stretched. Wesley Fofana was fine, don’t get us wrong, but Koulibaly and Cucurella had us saying, “Thiago who?” (before quickly answering ourselves, “Thiago Silva. One of the best of his era, duh.”
Emre Can: Effective at both ends of the pitch as the former Liverpool man did his best to eliminate his former rivals.
Enzo Fernandez: There will come a day when someone will righteously criticize the expensive Argentine, but it won’t be Tuesday: Nine recoveries and four clearances next to a roving Mateo Kovacic.
Kai Havertz: Might’ve not been the tidiest, hitting the post early and missing his first penalty, but the German ran his shorts off and was credited with six recoveries. If anything, he should be lauded for not wilting during this ice-cold run as he’s been the only attacker religiously named starter by Graham Potter.
Giovanni Reyna: The 20-year-old was pulled into action after only five minutes, and was credited with two chances created and came within a brave Chelsea block of scoring shortly after Havertz’s penalty.
What’s next?
Chelsea goes to Leicester City for a 10am ET Saturday scrap with the Foxes.
Dortmund has to dust itself off for a Revierderby at 12:30pm ET Saturday at Schalke.
Raheem Sterling goal video: England star makes good for gaffe
Raheem Sterling has Chelsea level with Dortmund on aggregate right before the half!
(via @TUDNUSA)pic.twitter.com/U7cuU38HYm
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) March 7, 2023
Kai Havertz penalty video: Second time’s the charm
⚽ ¡Goooool! ⚽
😳 Polémico pero gol de Chelsea desde los 11 pasos@ChelseaFC 2 (2-1) 0 @BlackYellow
🔴EN VIVO: https://t.co/7nrnFHuLvE
📺 TUDN | ViX+ | UniMás#TuChampions pic.twitter.com/XM8duJu21d— TUDN USA (@TUDNUSA) March 7, 2023
How to watch Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund live, stream link, kick off time
Date/Time: Tuesday, March 7 at 3pm ET (UPDATE: Kickoff delays to 3:10pm by BVB late arrival)
Stats: Via scoreboard on NBCSports.com
How to watch: TUDN, Paramount+
Key storylines
This game is Chelsea’s season. This game will define if Graham Potter’s superstars can improve in the final months of the campaign and go on another deep run in the Champions League. They have to stay solid defensively and hope their forwards finally click together. They can beat Dortmund and they showed that in the first leg as they dominated the game, missed several chances and were hit on the counter. Sound familiar, Chelsea fans?
The Blues know if they score in the first half then it’s all systems go but they will be wary of this young Dortmund side who despite a slew of injuries to attacking players, they’re flying right now and have absolutely no fear. If Potter can guide Chelsea to at least the Champions League semifinals then Chelsea’s fans will ease some of the pressure on him, for now. Of course they want to finish in the Premier League’s top four but that seems very unlikely this season so the only way they will be playing in the Champions League next season is by winning this tournament. Expectations are high. First up: let’s see if Chelsea can reach the quarterfinals. Baby steps.
Chelsea team news, lineup options
OUT: N’Golo Kante (hamstring), Thiago Silva (knee), Edouard Mendy (shoulder), Armando Broja (knee), Mason Mount (abdominal), Cesar Azpilicueta (concussion)
Your Chelsea side tonight! 🔵#UCL pic.twitter.com/n1zekhgzvN
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 7, 2023
Borussia Dortmund team news, lineup options
OUT: Youssoufa Moukoko (knee), Karim Adeyemi (muscle), Donyell Malen (ankle), Gregor Kobel (muscle), Julien Duranville (muscle), Mateu Morey Bauza (fitness)
🚨 BVB STARTING XI VS. CHELSEA 🚨 pic.twitter.com/z9TElmuO5Q
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) March 7, 2023
Chelsea snaps to life, bounces Dortmund to reach Champions League quarters originally appeared on NBCSports.com