Chelsea are not having the best English Premier League season so far, getting thumped 4-1 by Brighton, Chelsea experienced a surprise PL defeat. However, despite the side sitting in the top 6 of the Premier League ladder, their UEFA Champions League campaign is going much stronger. A win over Dinamo Zagreb yesterday concluded the pool phase of the league, with Chelsea finishing top of Group E. Now, the knockout phase awaits to see how far Chelsea can progress this season.
Chelsea Defeat Dinamo Zagreb 2-1
An early goal to their Croatian opponents Dinamo Zagreb was not enough to prevent Chelsea from coming away victorious in their final group match of the UEFA Champions League last night.
Bruno Petkovic scored in just the seventh minute for Dinamo Zagreb, with an excellent touch that put the Croatian club ahead early. However, sitting solidly in last place on the Group E ladder, Dinamo Zagreb were quickly reminded of why they’ve lost four of their six matches this Champions League when Raheem Sterling scored halfway through the first half. The forward could have grabbed two more before halftime but missed his two chances.
However, debutant Denis Zakaria did not miss his chance in the first half. The 25-year-old midfielder pounced on the opportunity in his first start after being signed by Chelsea two months ago, creeping his strike inside the post around the half-hour mark to put Chelsea ahead. The scores would stay that way for the remainder of the match, leaving Chelsea on 13 points at the top of Group E.
Chelsea Through to Knockout Phase
With the group phase of the UEFA Champions League now complete, Chelsea will proceed to the round of 16.
Sixteen teams move through to this knockout phase, with the eight group winners receiving a seeding. The eight runners-up will remain unseeded. Opponents are drawn at random from the unseeded pot, and matched against the seeded pot, with no team able to play a team from their previous group. Bettors will be excited to see who are now the favourites to take home the title and may want to check out these tips in order to stay up to date once the draw for the first round of the knockout phase has been announced. Having placed first in their group, Chelsea will receive an unseeded opponent to play.
A three-month gap awaits before the first round of the knockout phase, with matches commencing in mid-February.
Concern Ahead of World Cup After Chelsea Game
Chelsea’s win yesterday was marred by an injury to English defender Ben Chilwell.
Chilwell seemed to pull a hamstring late in injury time against Dinamo Zagreb. Though the 25-year-old got back to his feet and played the remaining seconds of the match, he had to be carried back off the field after the game. This injury has prompted cries for the Premier League to be put on pause from now until the World Cup, with critics arguing that continued action will further harm England’s chances at the tournament.
Such a stoppage could possibly act in Chelsea’s favour, with some concerned about how their remaining games will unfold anyway.
