toptop
Unconvincing
Chelsea were booed off after limping into the Conference League semi-finals 4-2
on aggregate despite a 2-1 defeat to Legia Warsaw at Stamford Bridge.
Much like Sunday's draw with Ipswich, the Blues started brightly on home soil
before falling behind to the visitors' first attack of the night, with Tomas
Pekhart beating Filip Jorgensen from 12 yards after the goalkeeper had brought
him down inside the area.
Legia head coach Goncalo Feio had said his side would dare to dream of an
unlikely comeback if they took the lead in London.
Those fantasies almost moved a step closer to reality as Ryoya Morishita
narrowly missed the far post with a golden chance to add a second soon after
when played in behind.
Having fielded questions about fan frustrations in his pre-match press
conference, Enzo Maresca again was subjected to murmurs of discontent until Marc
Cucurella, Chelsea's top Premier League scorer in 2025, came to the rescue again
before half-time.
The left-back netted his fourth goal of the calendar year by tapping home Jadon
Sancho's cross to relieve the growing angst around Stamford Bridge.
But the Blues would again be frustrated after the break, when Claude Goncalves'
half-volley from a corner was bundled home from close-range by Steve Kapuadi, to
again give Legia a glimmer of hope.
They may rue referee Alejandro Hernandez's decision not to award them a second
penalty of the night soon after, when Jorgensen again appeared to clean out
Luquinhas after spilling a cross - though VAR Guillermo Cuadra was similarly
unconvinced.
That left Chelsea to see out their aggregate victory in relative comfort,
despite an unconvincing performance on the night, with more boos from the stands
at the final whistle following a second unconvincing home performance in four
days.
The Blues will face one of Djurgardens or Rapid Vienna in the semi-finals, with
the two legs played on May 1 and May 8.
Teams
Chelsea Jorgensen, Acheampong, Tosin, Badiashile, Cucurella
(Gusto 57), James (c), Dewsbury-Hall, Sancho (Neto 83), Palmer (Madueke 57),
Nkunku, Jackson (George 46)
Subs Not Used Bergstrom,Sanchez, Antwi, Amougou, Emenalo,
Rak-Sakyi, Walsh, Mheuka
Booked Jorgensen, Badiashile
Goals Cucurella 33
Legia Warszawa Kovacevic, Vinagre, Kapuadi, Ziolkowski
(Jedrzejczyk 86), Pankov, Goncalves (Bichakhchyan 86), Elitim (Augustyniak 77),
Oyedele, Luquinhas (Szczepaniak 77), Pekhart (c) (Chodyna 67), Morishita
Subs Not Used Tobiasz, Mendes-Dudzinski, Olewinski, Kun, Mozie
Booked
Goals Pekhart 10 (pen), Kapuadi 53
Attendance 32,549
Referee Alejandro Hernández (Spain)
VAR Guillermo Cuadra (Spain)