SAN FRANCISCO, October 28, (THEWILL) – Moroccan winger Hakim Ziyech scored his first goal for Chelsea on his full debut in their 4-0 win over Russian side FC Krasnodar in Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League Group E tie.
Frank Lampard’s side had drawn their previous three matches in all competitions, including two goalless outings. Away in Russia, they apparently found the right balance between attack and defence.
Jorginho wasted an opportunity to open the scoring when he missed a 14th minute penalty. It was the Italian central midfielder’s second missed penalty this season and was not inspiring for the team so early on.
But in the 37th minute, English winger Callum Hudson-Odoi was gifted his first goal in the competition by a goalkeeping error from Krasnodar goalie Matvey Safonov. The Englishman accepted the generosity to give Chelsea the advantage.
By conceding, Krasnodar were forced to come out of their shell. It almost paid off as they nearly equalised 10 minutes into the second half. But, midfielder Yuri Gazinskiy hit the bar with a cracking volley.
Even at that, Krasnodar, who were hosting in UEFA’s showpiece competition for the first time, were giving a good account of themselves. They went close again through a Marcus Berg effort but Edouard Mendy, in goal for Chelsea, was equal to the task.
An unfortunate penalty decision against defender Aleksandr Martynovich for handling the ball on the box put the game beyond the Russians. With Jorginho substituted, Timo Werner took it and scored from the spot.
Chelsea had enough to spare for more goals. Ziyech’s 79th minute crisp finish and Pulisic’s shot from a tight angle completed the 4-0 routing of FC Krasnodar.
The result means it is three clean sheets in a row for Chelsea and the Blues are top of Group E for now. Sevilla and Rennes are in action later this evening.
Next up for Chelsea is a trip to Burnley in the English Premier League before hosting Rennes in midweek. Krasnodar have an away tie against Akhmat Grozny in the Russian Premier League before another game on the road against Sevilla in next week’s Champions League game.
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.
