Second leg CL round of 16 – Ice-cold defending champion: Chelsea moves into the quarter-finals – sport

After losing 2-0 in the first leg at Chelsea, Lille’s chances of progressing to the quarter-finals of the Champions League were slim. But the reigning French champions were close to at least threatening the holders.

In the first quarter of an hour after the break, the French failed to turn the game around when the score was 1-1. In the 52nd minute, Burak Yilmaz just missed a header. About 10 minutes later, a header from Xeka landed on the left post after a short corner kick.

Azpilicueta makes the decision

The missed opportunities should take revenge. With one of the rare offensive actions, Chelsea made the decision in the 71st minute. A cross from Mason Mount saw Cesar Azpilicueta beat Timothy Weah and knee to make it 2-1. Lille’s resistance was broken, Chelsea brought the victory over time and can continue the mission of defending the title.

Yilmaz lets Lille dream for a moment

Lille, without the injured Portuguese Renato Sanches, started the game well and controlled the early stages. Although Chelsea came up better after 18 minutes, it was the French who were the first to reward themselves for their committed performance in the 38th minute. After a handball from Jorginho in the penalty area and the intervention of the video referee, Yilmaz safely converted the penalty to 1-0.

Of course it would have been extremely important for the hosts to go into the break with this lead. However, this endeavor narrowly failed. Only a few seconds before the final whistle of the first half, Christian Pulisic scored to equalize. Jorginho, who ironed out the “mistake” that led to the penalty with a perfect template, played a significant role in the 1-1.

This is how it goes

The quarter-finals and the remaining games of the knockout phase will be drawn in Nyon on Friday. The first leg of the quarter-finals will take place on April 5th and 6th, with the second leg a week later. The semi-finals are on 26./27. April (first legs) and on 3./4. May (second leg) on ​​the program. The Champions League winner will be determined in the final in Paris on May 28th.

The quarterfinalists at a glance