SAN FRANCISCO, December 09, (THEWILL) – English Premier League side Chelsea avoided defeat as Jorginho scored from the penalty spot when they came from behind to draw 1-1 with Krasnodar in their final match of the Champions League group stage on Tuesday.
The Blues had already qualified for the knockout phase as winners of Group E and marginally had the better of a low-key fixture at Stamford Bridge.
The visitors began brightly with Tonny Vilhena’s swerving half-volley whistling just over the crossbar and Viktor Claesson striking a shot just past the post from a good position.
Murad Musayev’s charges deservedly took the lead after some slick build-up play whose highpoint was in Cristian Ramirez’s cutback for Claesson, who fed it to Remy Cabella and the ex-Newcastle United man arrowed it into the bottom-left corner.
The hosts did not have long to wait before they got themselves back on level terms. Abraham was impeded by Brazilian defender Kaio as he attempted to turn inside the penalty area. The referee pointed to the spot.
With his trademark hop-then-shoot spot-kick style, Jorginho deceived Krasnodar goalkeeper Evgeni Gorodov and placed the penalty into the corner of the net.
It was Chelsea’s 10th penalty in all competitions this season, which is more than any other Premier League side, having successfully converted eight of them (level with Leicester City).
Just before the half-hour, Abraham skipped clear of the Krasnodar defence after being found by Kai Havertz, but he could only strike his shot wide of the post.
In the second period, Chelsea looked the more threatening. Although, Lampard’s side played with greater tempo, it did not translate to clear goalscoring chances.
Again, the tireless Abraham pinched the ball off Ramirez inside the box but Gorodov improvised with his heel to keep out the Chelsea striker’s low shot.
German forward Timo Werner upped the energy levels when he was introduced as a 74th-minute substitute for the ineffectual Havertz. He struck a low angled shot just beyond the far post.
But that was as close as Chelsea went in the closing stages as the match petered out.
Chelsea next come up against former manager Carlo Ancelotti on Saturday when they face Everton at Goodison Park. Krasnodar host Lokomotiv Moscow in the Russian Premier League on Sunday.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
