Chelsea earned a vital win over Borussia Dortmund in the reverse fixture of their Champions League clash at home to ease even more pressure on Graham Potter while Benfica made another emphatic case to be this season’s surprise pick for the tournament with another hammering of Club Brugge.
Chelsea eliminates in-form Dortmund from the Champions League:
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg, Chelsea and Dortmund came into the contest with contrasting fortunes.
The Germans were on a 10-game win streak while Potter’s Chelsea was barely hanging on in the Premier League.
That mattered little in the end as Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz scored for the Blues to earn them a 2-0 win on the night and a 2-1 victory on aggregate.
Chelsea, who had scored just once in the previous four games, looked to be in for another frustrating night with several chances going begging for their stars.
Havertz had a goal ruled out for offside by VAR while Joao Felix and Kalidou Koulibaly also missed their marks despite dominating their opposition.
Sterling drew his side level in the 43rd minute when he volleyed a Ben Chilwell pass past Alexander Meyer.
Chelsea would take the outright lead in the tie when Kai Havertz scored from the penalty spot in the 53rd minute but needed two tries to do so. After smashing his first effort against the post he was asked to retake the kick after Dortmund players were called for encroachment.
Graham Potter’s side then shut up shop and saw out the game to reach the quarterfinals.
Benfica vs Brugge:
Rafa Silva, Joao Mario, David Neres and Goncalo Ramos (2) all got on the scoresheet as Benfican followed up their 2-0 win over the Belgian side with a 5-1 hammering in the second leg.
The win takes Benfica to their second consecutive Champions League quarterfinals for the first time since the 1967/68 season.
