Chelsea’s Champions League hopes crushed by Juventus in Turin

Chelsea’s Champions League hopes stalled by a rampant Federico Chiesa and his Juventus team in Turin

Chelsea travelled to Turin in Italy to take on a Juventus team in their Allianz Stadium on Wednesday, September 29, in their Champions League Group H match, in the battle of the two big clubs in this group.

Juventus are still finding their way without the enigmatic Cristiano Ronaldo, and with their returning coach Max Allegri, but they showed plenty of quality and skill to defeat the European champions, thanks to a second-half goal from Italian international Federico Chiesa, just ten seconds after the half kicked off.

Chelsea dominated the first 45 minutes but simply failed to create the openings, and the service to new striker Romelu Luakau was poor, to say the least.

Chiesa was unlucky not to open the scoring in the first half, as his shot flew across the face of Edouard Mendy’s goal, but his finishing was sublime next time as he smashed his shot high into the net beyond the keeper, to give Juve the lead.

How Federico Bernardeschi missed an open goal to double the lead remains a mystery, and he would have regretted his miss had Romelu Lukaku – normally a cert to score – converted either of the massive chances that he spurned, one with a missed header from a cross by Hudson-Odoi, and the second when he somehow missed the goal completely when through.

Juventus keeper Wojciech Szczesny didn’t break a sweat the whole game, and once ahead, the masterful Leonardo Bonucci showed that typical Italian resilience at the back to keep the Blues out, although Kai Havertz, Chelsea’s hero in Porto in the final against Manchester City, should have levelled the scores, heading over the bar in the dying seconds, proving it was just not meant to be on this occasion for Thomas Tuchel‘s team.

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Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

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