Salzburg - Chelsea 1-2
Perhaps feeling passionate after a raucous tribute to the recently deceased Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz, Bernardo committed an early defensive error that saw a charging Kai Havertz put in front of goalkeeper Philipp Köhn, who collided with the German and took a blow that left him temporarily prostrate. But the Blues went ahead on 23 minutes, when a lurking Mateo Kovačić hit a first-time effort with his left boot on the ‘D’, and found the top-left corner of Köhn’s net for just a fifth goal across 197 Chelsea appearances.
Graham Potter’s men were now on top, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang had two golden opportunities before the break. Firstly, Havertz was played through and found the Gabonese hitman in space, but Köhn pulled off a diving stop in the one-on-one. Then, on the stroke of HT, an exchange down the left flank saw Aubameyang latch on to a Raheem Sterling flick, but Köhn was again equal to his shot, palming the ball low and away to his right.
Salzburg needed a quick response, and just three minutes into the second half, as a long ball from Max Wöber evaded the Chelsea backline, and Junior Adamu stole a march in front of Marc Cucurella to side-foot beyond Kepa Arrizabalaga for a shock equaliser. Jorginho then came close to making it 2-1, but his header from a corner was stopped on the line by Adamu, who was looking more like a man possessed with every second-half minute.
However, Chelsea did regain the lead just after the hour mark, and Havertz finally got the goal his ingenuity deserved in emphatic style. He was indebted to some fancy footwork from Christian Pulisic, who found him on the edge of the ‘D’ after evading his marker, with lax defending allowing Havertz to switch the ball to his left foot, via which he smashed a fierce strike into the corner off the bar, netting his first Chelsea goal away from home in the UCL.
Chances came for both sides in the closing stages, but Chelsea finished the stronger as Salzburg went through the motions. With this victory, the two-time UCL winners have now qualified from all but one of their last 19 group stage appearances in the competition, leaving Salzburg potentially starting matchday six outside the top-two in Group E.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Kai Havertz (Chelsea)
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Sevilla - Copenhagen 3-0
Both teams needed six points from their remaining two games to stand any chance of making the round of 16, making this a true eliminator. Against all expectations, Copenhagen’s incredibly young side initially put up a decent fight – albeit to the effect of creating nothing meaningful before the break. Yet, while they looked every bit the only UCL without a goal, Alex Telles had to be smart to intercept Mohamed Daramy’s squared pass across the box on one of the rare occasions Copenhagen broke the lines.
Meanwhile, Suso looked likeliest to make the biggest impact for Sevilla in the opening half-hour, though any attempts to find Kasper Dolberg – who was making his first full start in the competition with the club – proved fruitless. That led Jorge Sampaoli to withdraw the Dane at HT, but it was a move that initially unsettled the hosts, and there was chaos in their backline just five minutes after the break. Eighteen-year-old William Clem clattered the post, with keeper Marko Dmitrović a helpless spectator, but Copenhagen did not capitalise.
As the game approached its hour mark, Kamil Grabara was forced into an excellent save from Isco’s volley. In a vindication of Sampaoli’s earlier tactical switch, It was Dolberg’s replacement Youssef En Nesyri who would open the scoring minutes later, as he got the slightest of touches on Papu Gómez’s whipped cross. The goal seemed to settle Sevilla’s nerves, and knowing that victory tonight would at least guarantee UEFA Europa League football in the spring, they began to enjoy some real authority as the minutes ticked by
The closing stages witnessed Copenhagen’s Kevin Diks smash the woodwork seconds after his introduction, with the hosts forced into a spell of staunch defending. Isco wouldn’t be denied again however, with his curling effort from the edge of the box doubling the lead, before Gonzalo Montiel made it three after tapping in Grabara’s stoppage-time spill.
If there was a silver lining for Copenhagen, who ended the contest with 10-men after frustrations spilled over, whose European exploits for the season ended this evening, it was in the heart of their young players, who were perhaps a little unlucky to come up short on a tough evening in Andalusia. Sevilla, meanwhile, march on – albeit with one nervous eye on events in Dortmund later tonight as Group G’s ‘big two’ go to war.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Youssef En Nesyri (Sevilla)
