Dortmund - Chelsea 1-0
Despite their shocking recent form in the Premier League, two-time Champions League winners Chelsea have been a different beast in this competition since Graham Potter’s appointment, winning each of their final four group matches.
However, it would not be an easy trip to the Ruhr, where Dortmund, having won all of their six competitive outings in 2023, would be backed by a capacity 81,500 crowd in Europe for the first time.
As Signal Iduna Park’s famous Sudtribune unfurled a stunning display to mark the occasion, the home side began brightly, setting their standards for the game with a flurry of early half-chances.
Nevertheless, there was quality on display from both sides, and the Blues were actually the first to have the ball in the net when a Reece James free kick was turned in by Thiago Silva, but the referee adjudged the ball to have touched the Brazilian’s hand on its way in.
Dortmund’s midfield continued to dominate proceedings, and Sebastien Haller could only find the side netting following some direct running from the influential Julian Brandt, but Chelsea were to have arguably the best chance of the first period.
Kai Havertz refused to give up on a long ball, holding it up well for Joao Felix, whose dancing footwork puzzled Marius Wolf and created enough space to shoot, but the January signing chipped his shot against the bar.
Chelsea returned to the field in the second half with new inspiration, adopting fluid positioning with overlapping wing play. In turn, right-back Reece James was to become their greatest attacking threat, as he hit the target with both a direct free kick and a looping volley shortly after halftime.
However, their commitment to attack left them short at the back, and Karim Adeyemi – a recent Bundesliga sprint speed record breaker – punished them with an immense show of pace, darting from his own half and into the Chelsea box. He took the ball past Kepa Arrizabalaga and finished into the empty net, sending the Yellow Wall into pandemonium.
Potter’s side wasted no time in launching an assault on the Dortmund goal in response and would have been level if not for a valiant goal-line clearance from Emre Can.
In the latter stages, Nico Schlotterbeck and Can proved particularly important for Dortmund’s defensive effort and made sure that their side would travel to London with the advantage.
The Blues, meanwhile, have now gone ten away matches without a win in all competitions.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Emre Can (Borussia Dortmund)
Club Brugge - Benfica 0-2
This tie stems from two clubs shocking the established elite of European football. Benfica topped Group H ahead of Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, while Club Brugge’s first progression to the Champions League knockout stages contributed to Atletico Madrid’s demise.
With that considered, it’s no surprise there was an electric atmosphere in the Jan Breydel Stadium as both sides looked to assert themselves, with Goncalo Ramos and Tajon Buchanan seeing early efforts saved.
Benfica had a big opportunity following a poor pass from Clinton Mata, but Fredrik Aursnes made a complete mess of his shot. Blauw-Zwart continued to cling onto their clean sheet, as Kamal Sowah’s attempted clearance hit Jack Hendry and spun over the crossbar, Rafa Silva’s inventive attempt hit the woodwork, while Antonio Silva and Ramos both headed over.
After those escapes, the hosts thought they were ahead when Denis Odoi’s header hit Florentino Luis on its way in before the break, but Odoi had roamed offside.
Ramos wasted another chance after the restart, although it wasn’t long until he nipped in to reach a loose ball ahead of Hendry to win a penalty. Simon Mignolet was desperately unlucky not to save Joao Mario’s shot, as the ball cannoned off his gloves, onto the crossbar and in for the midfielder’s fourth goal from the spot this Champions League campaign.
While the hosts responded to the setback well, they couldn’t quite conjure the attacking quality required to test Benfica, leading to Scott Parker calling upon Ferran Jutgla despite the Spaniard not being fully fit.
It was Benfica substitute David Neres that capitalised on Bjorn Meijer’s mistake to score a late second, with the Lisbon side recovering from their Taca de Portugal defeat to secure their fifth win in six across all competitions.
Club Brugge’s Twitter account posted a video stating “eagles may rule the sky, the farmer rules the field” pre-match, but they remain stuck on one win in 10 since the FIFA World Cup break and face an uphill battle at the Estadio da Luz in the return fixture
Flashscore Man of the Match: Alex Grimaldo (Benfica)
