Wednesday night’s Champions League match between Chelsea and Dinamo Zagreb ended 2-1 with Denis Zakaria scoring his first goal for the Blues.
Chelsea defeated the underwhelming Dinamo with a well-deserved win, and despite the close scoreline, they secured their fourth consecutive Champions League win.
The visitors took an early lead against the odds, but they were unable to maintain their rhythm and gave up majority of the ball and possession in their own half.
Chelsea at the other end, were not predicted to go behind early in the game despite fielding a fairly formidable lineup and not needing any points to advance as Group E winners.
However, the 2021 champions League winners steadily regained control of the match and maintained a respectable one-goal lead at halftime.
After Jorginho’s deft throughball put Aubameyang in the penalty area, Raheem Sterling evened up for the home team. A clever backheel from the striker set up Sterling, who calmly avoided a tackle before putting the ball in the bottom-left corner.
Then, the Juventus player on loan, Denis Zakaria, appears from lurking on the edge of the box to add the winning goal for Chelsea with a low shot that just eluded Moharrami to make it 2-1.
Job done. ?@WhaleFinApp | #UCL pic.twitter.com/5gY9oOYJcV
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 2, 2022
Dinamo placed last in Group E and only has their surprising win over the Blues in Zagreb to show for their efforts. Chelsea tops the group and moves on to the round of 16.
Despite not performing at their best, the Blues dominated the match against the Dinamo side.
Dinamo can no longer compete in any European competitions, so they must merely concentrate on their ongoing domestic title defense.
Chelsea will play Arsenal this weekend in a significant London derby, and then the team will wait for the draw for the Champions League’s last round.