November 05, (THEWILL) — Chelsea were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw against Qarabag in their UEFA Champions League fixture in Baku on Wednesday night.
The result left the Blues frustrated after surrendering a lead and then having to fight back in the second period.
Estevao gave Chelsea the advantage in the 16th minute with a superb left-footed strike from a tight angle, making history in the process.
The 18-year-old became the only South American player to score in back-to-back UCL matches at that age or younger. However, Qarabag drew level through Leandro Andrade 13 minutes later after Jorrel Hato misjudged a long ball, allowing Camilo Duran to intercept.
The Colombian forward struck the post, but Andrade converted the rebound to restore parity.
Hato’s difficult evening worsened when he handled a cross inside the area, conceding a penalty that Marko Jankovic dispatched with composure to put the hosts ahead.
Chelsea responded quickly after the interval when Alejandro Garnacho struck from distance to make it 2-2. Despite sustained pressure from the visitors, with Liam Delap, Enzo Fernandez, and Facundo Buonanotte all coming close, a winner eluded them.
The Blues were fortunate not to lose when Oleksii Kashchuk fired straight at Robert Sanchez from close range in stoppage time.
Garnacho then saw an overhead effort saved by Mateusz Kochalski in the dying moments. Chelsea also lost Romeo Lavia to an early injury during the contest.
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.
