Thomas Tuchel bet on Kai Havertz at the expense of Romelu Lukaku for the first leg against Lille in the Champions League knockout stage. The Belgian had a terrible match against Crystal Palace, where he touched the ball only seven times. The coach stood up for the attacker and stated directly that this is not the time to joke and laugh at Lukaku’s attitude. So it’s no surprise that Tuchel preferred to bet on Havertz, who secured Chelsea with a Champions League final win last season.
Chelsea with a good advance before the rematch. One of the goals was scored by substitute Lukaku
From the first minutes of the game, Chelsea pushed the opponents’ goal to secure a favorable result as soon as possible. And here Kai Havertz was in the main role, first hitting the crossbar, and several dozen seconds later by Leo Jardim. In the seventh minute, the German already used his opportunity after passing Hakim Ziyech from a corner kick. Lille tried to answer in the first half, but it failed. Despite this, the French did not stand out from a more reputable rival, and Renato Sanches stood out the most among Lille players.
The second half started with quick attacks from both sides. When Chelsea left with one action, Lille blocked Hakim Ziyech’s shot and launched her attack immediately. The pace later slowed down a bit and the Londoners took two hits as both Ziyech and Mateo Kovacic missed the match due to injuries. In the 63rd minute, Chelsea took the second blow thanks to Christian Pulisic. The whole action was distributed by N’Golo Kante, and Sven Botman and Jose Fonte did not nip the action in the bud.
Lille tried to reduce the loss by trying to play in the positional attack, but none of the attempts produced the desired result. The team led by Thomas Tuchel after the second goal went back on the defensive and waited only for counterattacks. The game ended with a 2-0 result and Chelsea will therefore come to the rematch in France with a solid advantage. The second match between these teams will take place on March 16.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
