Olivier Giroud celebrates after scoring his team’s second goal
during the UEFA Champions League Group E football match between
Stade Rennais FC and Chelsea FC at the Roazhon Park stadium in
Rennes, western France, on November 24, 2020. DAMIEN MEYER /
AFP
Chelsea reached the last 16 of the Champions League on
Tuesday with two matches to spare after a late Olivier Giroud
strike gave the Blues a 2-1 win over Rennes.
The France forward’s powerful header in stoppage time snatched
the points for Frank Lampard’s side after Serhou Guirassy had
levelled Callum Hudson-Odoi’s first-half opener.
Chelsea were joined in the next round by Group E rivals Sevilla
after the Spanish side won 2-1 at Krasnodar.
Both sides are on 10 points, nine ahead of third-placed
Krasnodar and will now do battle for first place come the end of
the group stage.
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Chelsea can concentrate on domestic duties, with Premier League
leaders Tottenham Hotspur visiting Stamford Bridge at the weekend,
thanks to out-of-favour Giroud, who has been tipped to leave in
January as he seeks more regular football ahead of next summer’s
European Championship.
“I have a problem because we have Tammy who’s playing well… I
have two players in a similar position fighting for a place. That’s
a good problem,” Lampard told British broadcaster BT Sport.
“Olly (Giroud) will get his minutes because we have a busy
schedule, we’re playing every few days.”
Chelsea started strongly and should have been ahead as early as
the seventh minute, when Timo Werner flashed Hudson-Odoi’s low
cross over the bar with the goal at his mercy.
Their early dominance was rewarded in the 22nd minute following
superb play from Mason Mount, who won the ball near his own area
before spotting the marauding Hudson-Odoi on the right.
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Mount picked out his fellow Chelsea academy graduate with a long
pass. The winger took two touches before slotting past Alfred
Gomis.
England international Mount was unlucky not to double the away
side’s lead eight minutes later when Gomis pulled off a superb save
to keep out his close-range effort following a Ben Chilwell
pull-back.
Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy had a quiet start to his return to the
club from whom Chelsea signed him in the summer, but the hosts got
a foothold in the contest after a rocky opening period.
James Lea Siliki shot over in the 32nd minute after the ball
rebounded to him off Kurt Zouma. Rennes then began to cause Chelsea
some problems.
Mendy showed the difference he has made to Chelsea with solid
saves from Guirassy and Damien Da Silva towards the end of the
opening period.
Chelsea thought they had added a second shortly after the break
but Werner’s header was ruled offside and Rennes continued to pose
them problems.
Mendy made the save of the night in the 73rd minute when he got
his body in the way of a powerful Gerzino Nyamsi header, and then
pounced to stop a goal on the rebound.
Rennes thought they had punished Chelsea with five minutes
remaining when an unmarked Guirassy thumped a header past
Mendy.
But Giroud pounced less than a minute into stoppage time after
Gomis’ save from another Werner miss bounced up, allowing the
Frenchman to head Chelsea into the last 16.
AFP
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