Chelsea Reach Conference League Semi-Finals Despite Home Loss to Legia
Chelsea made it through to the UEFA Conference League semi-finals on Thursday night, even though they lost 2-1 at home to Legia Warsaw. The result gave them a 4-2 win on aggregate after their strong 3-0 victory in Poland last week.
Legia took an early lead at Stamford Bridge with a 10th-minute penalty scored by Czech striker Tomas Pekhart. Chelsea responded in the 33rd minute when Marc Cucurella scored from close range to make it 1-1. The Spaniard later had another goal disallowed by VAR.
In the second half, French defender Steve Kapuadi scored for Legia in the 53rd minute, which ended up being the winning goal on the night.
Around 1,000 Legia fans created a loud and colourful atmosphere at Stamford Bridge, lighting flares and chanting shirtless throughout the game.
Despite the loss, Chelsea’s 3-0 first-leg advantage was enough to send them into the semi-finals, where they will play Swedish side Djurgardens. Djurgardens beat 10-man Rapid Vienna 4-1 after extra time in their second-leg match.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca will be concerned about his team’s poor home performance, especially with their push for a top-five finish in the Premier League still ongoing. But the Blues are still seen as favourites to win the Conference League, alongside teams like Roma, West Ham and Olympiakos.
Elsewhere, last season’s runners-up Fiorentina played out a dramatic 2-2 draw with Slovenian side Celje. Fiorentina went ahead in the first half but fell behind 2-1 before Moise Kean scored the equaliser that gave them a 4-3 aggregate win.
Fiorentina will now face Real Betis in the semi-finals. The Spanish side drew 1-1 at home against Jagiellonia Bialystok, securing a 3-1 aggregate victory.
