Borussia Dortmund defeated Chelsea at home in the Champions League to heap even more misery on Graham Potter’s reeling side while Benfica got their one foot in the next stage of the competition against Club Brugge.
Chelsea vs Borussia Dortmund:
The Blues, whose lavish spending during the winter transfer window caught everyone’s eyes, rolled out their prized acquisitions against the German club as well and looked the better side in the early exchanges.
Thiago Silva had a goal chalked off in the 16th minute for handball before the home side grew into the game.
Sebastian Haller missed their best chance of the first half before João Félix wasted his best opportunities after striking the bar despite beating keeper Gregor Kobel.
The keeper had to keep Dortmund in the game with smart saves in the second half as well.
His vigilance paid off in the 63rd minute when Dortmund took the lead after catching the visitors with a counter. Karim Adeyemi picked off a clearnce from a corner, raced half the length of the pitch before beating Enzo Fernandez and rounding Kepa to score for the game’s only goal.
Chelsea did not go away quietly with Kalidou Koulibaly and Fernandez going close for the visitor’s but left Signal Iduna Park empty-handed.
The two will clash again in the reverse fixture on March 8th.
Benfica vs Club Brugge:
Meanwhile, in the night’s other contest over in Belgium, Benfica took giant steps towards the quarterfinals of the Champions League after beating Brugge 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from Joao Mario and David Neres.
The two teams will square off in the reverse fixture on March 8th (PKT).
