Alejandro Garnacho came off the bench to score Chelsea’s equaliser in a 2-2 draw against Qarabag, keeping both teams in Champions League qualification contention.
ALEJANDRO Garnacho spared Chelsea’s blushes with a second-half equaliser to secure a 2-2 draw against Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Enzo Maresca’s side faced potential embarrassment at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium after falling behind before the interval.
Estevao Willian gave Chelsea an early lead but Leandro Andrade equalised before Marko Jankovic converted a penalty to put the Azerbaijani underdogs ahead.
Former Manchester United winger Garnacho came off the bench to rescue the Blues with his composed finish after the break.
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Both teams now have seven points from their first four matches in the league phase.
They remain in contention for a top-eight finish that guarantees automatic qualification for the last 16.
Despite Chelsea spending over £1.5 billion on new signings in three seasons, they struggled against Qarabag whose transfer spending since 2020 is under £7 million.
Chelsea extended their Champions League away win drought dating back to October 2022.
Qarabag have proven surprise packages this season with impressive wins against Benfica and Copenhagen.
Chelsea players remained on UK time in Baku to manage the four-hour time difference ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Wolves.
The Blues arrived in Baku only hours before the match, prompting Maresca to make seven changes from Saturday’s win at Tottenham.
Estevao gave Chelsea’s inexperienced lineup a deserved 16th-minute lead after a vibrant start.
The 18-year-old Brazilian collected Andrey Santos’ pass before firing a low drive past goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski.
He became the third-youngest player in Champions League history to score in his first two starts.
Chelsea failed to build on their promising start and were punished for sloppy defending in the 29th minute.
Camilo Duran stole possession from Jorrel Hato before his shot rebounded to Leandro Andrade for the equaliser.
Qarabag struck again in the 39th minute as Chelsea’s inexperience showed.
Hato lost possession and conceded a penalty by blocking Duran’s cross with his outstretched arm.
Jankovic sent Robert Sanchez the wrong way from the spot to give Qarabag the halftime lead.
Maresca introduced Garnacho, Enzo Fernandez and Liam Delap for the second half with immediate impact.
Delap found Garnacho who lashed a fierce strike past Kochalski from the edge of the area for his second Chelsea goal.
Fernandez nearly matched Garnacho’s impact with a snap-shot that Kochalski tipped over.
Chelsea besieged Qarabag’s goal in the final minutes but couldn’t find a winner despite several close chances. – AFP
