Maresca's gamble - Hato pushed Chelsea to brink, Garnacho prevented disaster

Chelsea were heavy favorites ahead of the fourth round of the Champions League. Good form and a weekend win over Tottenham had only boosted Enzo Maresca’s team’s confidence, giving them every reason to expect an easy victory in Azerbaijan. However, things didn’t go as planned. Jorrel Hato’s terrible performance, combined with the risky decisions by the Blues’ coach regarding player selection, resulted in nothing more than a 2–2 draw.

In the 7th minute, Chelsea had an early setback as Romeo Lavia pulled up and required treatment, with Moises Caicedo coming on as his replacement. Caicedo nearly made an immediate impact just two minutes later, lashing a half-cleared corner from about 20 yards, narrowly over the bar.

Chelsea continued to threaten, and in the 12th minute, Andrey Santos wasted a huge chance, side-footing wide from close range after a neat cut-back from Tyrique George. The Blues’ attacks were relentless, but they struggled to convert opportunities.

Qarabag struck first to shock Enzo Maresca’s side in the 16th minute. Young Brazilian sensation Estevao Willian, just 18 years old, showed poise beyond his years. Cleverly maneuvering in the box, he beat the goalkeeper at the near post with a low finish, giving Qarabag a perfect start. The goal is HERE!

Chelsea remained dangerous, with Jamie Gittens making a strong run into the box in the 24th minute and setting up George, but the teenager’s feet tangled, and the chance went begging.

Qarabag responded well, and in the 29th minute, they leveled the score. Camilo Duran produced a superb run into Chelsea’s box, his shot hitting the post, only for Leandro Andrade to pounce and slot home, making it 1–1 in Baku. The goal is HERE!

Chelsea had opportunities to regain the lead — Gittens fired wide in the 35th minute from a good position, and a minute later hosts almost went ahead when Cafarguliyev shot narrowly past.

The breakthrough for Qarabag came in the 37th minute when hosts were awarded a penalty after a poor challenge by Jorrel Hato inside the box. Marko Jankovic calmly converted from the spot, sending the home crowd into a frenzy and putting Qarabag 2–1 up. The goal is HERE!

Chelsea came out after the break determined to respond, and their efforts paid off in the 53rd minute. Alejandro Garnacho leveled the score after a fortunate deflection; he drove down the left flank and finished with precision, beating the Qarabag goalkeeper to make it 2–2 and silence the home crowd. The goal is HERE!

Just two minutes later, Enzo Fernandez came close to putting Chelsea ahead. The midfielder unleashed a volley towards goal, but the Qarabag keeper made an outstanding reflex save to keep the score level.

Qarabag almost regained the lead in the 64th minute when Akhundzade struck from around 25 meters. His shot narrowly missed, skimming past Robert Sanchez’s post, leaving the home fans breathing a sigh of relief.

Chelsea continued to press, and in the 69th minute, Liam Delap had a fine chance after breaking down the right wing and dueling with Medina. His shot, however, went just wide, missing the opportunity to give the visitors the lead.

In the 78th minute, Enzo Fernandez had another good opportunity from the edge of the box, but again he was slightly off-target, sending the ball over the bar.

It was a close call for Garnacho to become his team’s absolute hero in the 93rd minute, when he attempted a spectacular overhead kick, but the shot went straight into the home goalkeeper’s hands.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 4

Tuesday

Napoli - Eintracht Frankfurt 0-0

Slavia Prague - Arsenal 0-3 (0-1)

/Saka 32 pen, Merino 46, 68/

Atletico Madrid - St. Gilloise 3-1 (1-0)

/Alvarez 39, Gallagher 72, Llorente 90+6 - Sykes 80/

Bodo/Glimt - Monaco 0-1 (0-1)

/Balogun 43/

Juventus - Sporting Lisbon 1-1 (1-1)

/Vlahovic 34 - Araujo 12/

Liverpool - Real Madrid 1-0 (0-0)

/Mac Allister 61/

Olympiacos - PSV 1-1 (1-0)

/Martins 17 - Pepi 90+3/

PSG - Bayern Munich 1-2 (0-2)

/Neves 74 - Diaz 4, 32/

Tottenham - Copenhagen 4-0 (1-0)

/Johnson 19, Odobert 51, Van de Ven 64, Palhinha 67/

Wednesday

Paphos - Villareal 1-0 (0-0)

/Luckassen 46/

Qarabag - Chelsea 2-2 (2-1)

/Andrade 29, Jankovic 39 pen - Estevao 16, Garnacho 52/

23.00: (3.20) Ajax (4.00) Galatasaray (2.15)

23.00: (2.05) Benfica (3.70) Leverkusen (3.70)

23.00: (5.50) Club Brugge (5.15) Barcelona (1.53)

23.00: (1.05) Inter (14.0) Kairat Almaty (45.0)

23.00: (1.45) Man.City (5.25) Dortmund (6.75)

23.00: (1.50) Newcastle (4.20) Ath.Bilbao (6.75)

23.00: (2.10) Olympique Marseille (3.75) Atalanta (3.50)

***odds are subject to change***