Alejandro Garnacho earns Chelsea point in 2-2 Champions League draw at Qarabag
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Chelsea's Alejandro Garnacho celebrates after scoring the team's second goal to equalise.
PHOTO: AFP
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- Chelsea drew 2-2 with Qarabag in the Champions League, with Garnacho's second-half equaliser securing a point after replacing Andrey Santos.
- Estevao's early goal for Chelsea was cancelled out by Leandro Andrade and Marko Jankovic, putting Qarabag ahead before halftime.
- Garnacho's impactful substitution and Delap's assist helped Chelsea avoid defeat, though both sides had chances to win the match.
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BAKU – Enzo Maresca slammed Chelsea’s “silly” defending after Alejandro Garnacho rescued a 2-2 draw against Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The Blues were in danger of an embarrassing loss at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Baku after falling behind in the first half.
Estevao Willian gave Maresca’s side an early lead but Leandro Andrade equalised before Marko Jankovic converted a penalty to give the Azerbaijani minnows hope of a famous upset.
Former Manchester United winger Garnacho then came off the bench to bail out the Blues with his composed finish after the interval.
Both sides have seven points from their first four matches in the league phase, leaving them in contention for the top eight finish that secures automatic qualification for the last 16.
While two-time European champions Chelsea have spent over £1.5 billion on new signings in the last three seasons, Qarabag’s total transfer outlay since 2020 is less than £7 million.
Despite that financial disparity, the Blues found it hard to subdue their spirited hosts and they made the five-and-half-hour trip home still without a Champions League away win since October 2022.
“I think the big difference was inside the box. Again we conceded silly goals that we could avoid and we could probably finish better with most of the actions that we created,” Maresca said.
“When we conceded the first goal, they were with 10 players. I think it is quite silly to concede this kind of goal. Then we conceded the penalty, so the second half is more difficult because you are 2-1 behind and you need to score.
“We need to defend better inside the box and probably need to attack better in the other box. I said before, Qarabag play very well. They do great things and it was difficult to play against them.
Mockingly nicknamed “carrier bag” on their disappointing debut in the Champions League group stage eight years ago, Qarabag have proved a surprise package in this season’s competition.
They staged a superb comeback to win 3-2 at Benfica, then beat Copenhagen 2-0 at home and Chelsea were the latest to find them a tough nut to crack.
Chelsea did not arrive in Baku until the early hours of Wednesday morning, so Maresca made seven changes from Saturday’s win at Tottenham in a bid to keep his team fresh.
The visitors were also forced into an early substitution when midfielder Romeo Lavia pulled up with a muscle injury and was replaced by Moises Caicedo.
“It’s a great shame, especially for him. He’s not able to be fit for a long period,” Maresca added. “Hopefully it’s not a big injury.”
Garnacho almost won it at the death for Chelsea with an overhead volley but an intrepid Qarabag also came close to a first win against English opposition with Oleksii Kashchuk firing straight at keeper Robert Sanchez.
Qarabag coach Gurban Gurbanov described holding Chelsea as a magnificent day.
“My team showed determination until the final minutes against the world champions,” he said. “They were not afraid, demonstrated Azerbaijani character and earned their first point against an English team.” AFP, REUTERS
