Lille vs Chelsea LIVE: Champions League result and final score after Christian Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta goals
Burak Yilmaz put the French side ahead, but Pulisic and Azpilicueta responded to put the holders into the quarter-finals
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Holders Chelsea made light of their off-pitch problems to reach the Champions League quarter-finals by beating Lille 2-1 away on Wednesday to complete a 4-1 aggregate victory.
The Premier League side, playing amid sanctions imposed on their Russian owner Roman Abramovich following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, eased through thanks to goals by Christian Pulisic and Cesar Azpilicueta.
French champions Lille dominated for long spells and opened the scoring thanks to a Burak Yilmaz penalty in the opening half, but lacked precision up front and paid dearly for lapses in concentration.
Chelsea, operating on a special licence from the British government that has limited their spending and impacted their operations, showed great composure to ease into the last eight.
Lille had made the better start to the match.
Jocelyn Gouvennec’s side put Chelsea on the back foot as Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho and N’Golo Kante struggled to take control of the midfield.
Lille were rewarded in the 38th minute when they were awarded a penalty following a VAR review after a Jorginho handball in the area.
The 36-year-old Yilmaz, the third oldest scorer in the Champions League knockout stages after Paolo Maldini and Ryan Giggs, buried the spot-kick into the top corner to give the hosts a deserved lead and high hopes of an upset after losing the first leg 2-0 at Stamford Bridge.
Lille, who had not conceded a goal in their three Ligue 1 games since the first leg, let their guard down, however, and Chelsea punished them with their first shot on target as Pulisic collected a fine through ball from Jorginho to score with a low shot three minutes into first-half stoppage time.
Although they were hit by injuries which forced Sven Botman and Zeki Celik to leave the pitch, Lille applied more pressure after the break and Yilmaz wasted two clear chances.
Chelsea were far more ruthless and after 71 minutes Mason Mount’s cross bounced off Azpilicueta’s knee into the top corner to end Lille’s hopes of reaching the last eight.
Lille 1-2 Chelsea, 77 minutes
Here they come en masse: Hatem Ben Arfa, Angel Gomes and Domagoj Bradaric are tasked with catalysing an unlikely turnaround. Jonathan David, disappointingly quiet across both legs, Jonathan Bamba and Gabriel Gudmundsson will play no further part.
Lille 1-2 Chelsea, 75 minutes
Jonathan Bamba takes a bump to the back of the head from Antonio Rudiger in the centre circle, and rubs at it with a scowl as he gets back to his feet.
Chelsea soon have the ball back, though, and N’Golo Kante weaves his way towards the corner, riding three or four challenges. Lille are preparing a triple substitution.
Lille 1-2 Chelsea, 73 minutes
Two more changes for Chelsea. Romelu Lukaku and Ruben Loftus-Cheek step in; Christian Pulisic and Jorginho step out.
GOAL! Lille 1-2 CHELSEA (1-4 agg.) (Cesar Azpilicueta goal, 71 minutes)
That may seal it! It’s an unconventional finish from Cesar Azpilicueta but it flies into the top corner and Chelsea look quarter-final bound.
The ball breaks kindly for Mason Mount after Marcos Alonso competes for a header on the left. Mount whips in a low cross that flies towards an arriving Azpilicueta on the bounce, who strikes it with his knee as it hops awkwardly at speed.
From the patella, into the back of the net, and that rather kills Lille’s hopes.
Lille 1-1 Chelsea, 70 minutes
20 minutes (and a bit) left, then, for Lille to find two goals to keep the tie alive. Chelsea cruising, really, at the moment.
Lille 1-1 Chelsea, 67 minutes
The two sides trade silly fouls at either end, with first Kai Havertz and then Jonathan Bamba allowing the defender they are jockeying the chance to escape easily by barging into the back of them. Curious.
Lille 1-1 Chelsea, 65 minutes
That chance has enlivened Lille, and the crowd. They press high and nearly force a couple of errors from the Chelsea backline. Manager Jocelyn Gourvennec accuses Edouard Mendy of time-wasting, but the home fans don’t help their manager by lobbing an item in the direction of the Chelsea goalkeeper that requires removing.
Lille 1-1 Chelsea, 63 minutes
Off the woodwork! It’s so, so close to a second for Lille, with Xeka arriving with ideal timing to meet a nice Burak Yilmaz cross that arcs perfectly for the midfielder. It’s powerfully directed and Edouard Mendy is well beaten, but it thumps back off the post! A let-off for Chelsea.
Lille 1-1 Chelsea, 62 minutes
Timothy Weah injects some pace down the left wing, with Gabriel Gudmundsson pushed back into an orthodox left-back position and Tiago Djalo swapping to the right of the defence.
Lille 1-1 Chelsea, 60 minutes
Burak Yilmaz was rather angry not to be awarded a free kick when he went down under contact from Trevoh Chalobah a few minutes ago, and the Turkish striker is even more annoyed as what appears to be a legitimate winning of a header above the replacement centre-half is adjudged a foul.
Chalobah gets some medical attention but will be ok to continue when permitted.
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