Zenit vs Chelsea LIVE: Champions League result, final score and reaction tonight
Follow all the action from St Petersburg as the group stage comes to a close
Champions League holders Chelsea finished as Group H runners-up after conceding a stoppage-time equaliser in a pulsating 3-3 draw at Zenit St Petersburg on Wednesday.
The result left Chelsea second on 13 points from six games, two behind group winners Juventus who leapt into pole position thanks to a 1-0 home win over Sweden’s Malmo.
Both sides had already booked their last-16 berths while third-placed Zenit will go into the second-tier Europa League after the winter break.
Timo Werner fired Chelsea ahead in the second minute with a tap-in from a Ross Bakley corner before Brazilian Claudinho levelled in the 38th with a glancing header.
Rattled by the equaliser, Chelsea fell behind three minutes later when Iranian striker Sardar Azmoun beat the offside trap and slotted the ball home after rounding goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Romelu Lukaku hit back in the 62nd minute as he stroked the ball into an empty net after a flowing move and Chelsea seemed to have forced the final twist after Werner struck again in the 85th thanks to good work by substitute Christian Pulisic.
The Premier League side were undone, however, by a spectacular equaliser at the death as they failed to clear a cross and late substitute Magomed Ozdoev unleashed an unstoppable volley past Kepa from the edge of the penalty area.
Follow Champions League updates below:
Zenit 0 - 1 Chelsea
26 mins: SAVE! A nice pass from Hudson-Odoi sends Mount into space on the right side. His cross into the box is worked clear by Yaroslav Rakitskyy. The ball comes up to Claudinho who checks inside of Christensen and draws Malang Sarr out of position. Malcom flies into the now vacant space and Claudinho slots him the ball. He drives into the box and only has Kepa Arrizabalaga to beat. Chelsea’s goalkeeper comes charging off his line and closes the gap on the winger, enough so that when the shot comes he’s able to get a hand and a leg to it and deny Zenit an equaliser! Great goalkeeping.
Zenit 0 - 1 Chelsea
23 mins: Thomas Tuchel will probably be wanting Chelsea to retain the ball more. After their initial forays into the Zenit final third they’ve barely strung together a coherent attack. Kuzyaev gets in behind the Chelsea midfield and flies up the pitch. He sends a pass out to Malcom who carries the ball into the area and has a shot deflected out for a corner.
Zenit 0 - 1 Chelsea
20 mins: In the other Group H game of the night Juventus have taken the lead over Malmo courtesy of Moise Kean.
Christensen just catches the back of Malcom’s heel as his arrives late for a tackle. Zenit knock the free kick back towards their own goal before working forward on the opposite flank. Claudinho switches the ball back over to the left side where Wendel and Douglas Santos combine to get in behind Hudson-Odoi. Wendel’s looking for a cross into the box but Azpilicueta skips across and knocks the ball out of play.
Zenit 0 - 1 Chelsea
17 mins: Zenit are starting to find their feet in this game. They’re trying a few different things, a long ball here, a run down the wing there. They’re having more of the ball and pushing up the pitch. Claudinho brings it inside from the right and hits one from just outside the box. He curls it up and over the crossbar and isn’t pleased with the effort.
Zenit 0 - 1 Chelsea
14 mins: Zenit win a throw in on the right wing and send it to Claudinho. He whips a quick cross into the box for Sardar Azmoun but he has both Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen to deal with and the Chelsea defenders clear the ball easily enough.
Zenit 0 - 1 Chelsea
11 mins: Thomas Tuchel has taken this game as an opportunity to try out of few different things. Reece James is playing in central midfield and Saul Niguez is the left wingback. A long ball up to Lukaku is chested down to Mount who flies forward and slots a pass over to Saul on the overlap. He floats a first time cross towards Lukaku at the back post but the ball sails over his head and the attack dies down.
Zenit 0 - 1 Chelsea
8 mins: Wilmar Barrios goes from hero to zero for Zenit. Callum Hudson-Odoi attempts to shimmy around the defender but Barrios holds him off, steps in front and takes possession of the ball. He then tries to play out from the back but is penned in by Lukaku and has to kick the ball out for another Chelsea corner.
Zenit 0 - 1 Chelsea
5 mins: Christensen steps into midfield and attracts a bunch of Zenit players. He manages to poke the ball up to Barkley who runs it down the inside left channel and threads a heavy pass into the box. Werner sets off after it but he’s beaten to the ball by the goalkeeper and Chelsea’s attack breaks down.
GOAL! Zenit 0 - 1 Chelsea, (Werner, 2’)⚽️
2 mins: Glorious start for Chelsea! Ross Barkley swings the corner kick into the box. Andreas Christensen jumps high and flicks the ball to the back post where Timo Werner is all alone for the simplest of tap-ins. Chelsea take the lead.
Zenit 0 - 0 Chelsea
Kick off: There’s a mixed reception to most of the players taking the knee before Chelsea get the ball rolling. Reece James has started in central midfield alongside Ross Barkley. Saul Niguez makes a driving run into the box and gets a shot off forcing Mikhail Kerzhakov to parry the ball out for a corner.
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