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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Your support makes all the difference.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 0-0 Chelsea, 32 minutes
Oh dear. This isn’t good for Chelsea. Andreas Christensen is going to have to go off, with the medic indicating as much to the Chelsea bench with a spinning finger. Trevoh Chalobah is being readied.
Lille 0-0 Chelsea, 32 minutes
Oh dear. This isn’t good for Chelsea. Andreas Christensen is going to have to go off, with the medic indicating as much to the Chelsea bench with a spinning finger. Trevoh Chalobah is being readied.
Lille 0-0 Chelsea, 29 minutes
The home fans are still in strong voice, but Chelsea have definitely taken control, even if they aren’t yet showing any particular signs of incision in their play.
Lille 0-0 Chelsea, 27 minutes
Jonathan Bamba chases after Thiago Silva as the Brazilian heads towards his own corner flag, but Bamba fells the Chelsea player, relieving his difficulty. Ever a baffling sort of foul, that, the kind that you cannot understand quite why players make. Lille have just cooled the heat of their press slightly.
Lille 0-0 Chelsea, 28 minutes
Lille 0-0 Chelsea, 25 minutes
Good work from Tiago Djalo, covering across with Cesar Azplicueta, who makes a long, arcing run to the near post to attempt to turn in a cross. Djalo gets goalside and clears.
Lille 0-0 Chelsea, 24 minutes
Chelsea are beginning to foray forward with greater regularity. Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic can’t quite combine as the German looks for his strike partner, and Lille then hurry back in enough number to snuff out a second entry into their box from the pair.
Lille 0-0 Chelsea, 23 minutes
Andreas Christensen topples over the top of Burak Yilmaz’s shaved heads as the pair contest a lofted ball forward. He comes down with a thud, but appears alright to continue.
Lille 0-0 Chelsea, 22 minutes
An exasperated extension of both arms from Tiago Djalo as he passes along the left, failing to connect with Gabriel Gudmundsson, who had set his feet rather than continuing his run.
Lille 0-0 Chelsea, 20 minutes
A burst from Chelsea down the left comes to nothing as they are forced out of the Chelsea box, and Jorginho is all too easily dispossessed by Jonathan David, providing defensive reinforcements well.
Burak Yilmaz sweeps an ambitious cross along the floor far ahead of an arriving teammate.
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