SALZBURG, Austria — Chelsea held on for a 2-1 win over FC Salzburg on Tuesday evening in Austria, to confirm their place in the Champions League knockout rounds as winners of Group E.
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Mateo Kovacic opened the scoring for the visitors midway through the first half, only for Junior Adamu to level the score just three minutes after the interval. But Kai Havertz delivered a stunning eventual winner in the 64th minute, sending the Blues home with all three points, on top of Group E and beyond the reach of their rivals.
Chelsea will welcome Dinamo Zagreb to Stamford Bridge a week from Wednesday, while Salzburg will close out their Champions League group stage with a trip to AC Milan next week, to determine who will follow the West London club into the round of 16.
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Rapid reaction
1. Havertz stunner seals knockout-round qualification for Chelsea
Havertz secured Chelsea’s spot in the Champions League round of 16 with a stunning goal to clinch a 2-1 Group E win against Salzburg in Austria on Tuesday. The Germany forward, who scored the winning goals in the 2021 Champions League final and 2022 FIFA Club World Cup final, delivered another crucial strike for Chelsea after Salzburg had threatened to overturn a first-half deficit to boost their own qualification hopes.
With Adamu cancelling out Kovacic’s 23rd-minute opener by equalising four minutes into the second half, Salzburg grew in confidence and looked on course to extend their unbeaten home record in all competitions to 41 games. But Havertz silenced the home crowd and ensured victory for Chelsea with a left-foot shot from 20 yards on 64 minutes that beat goalkeeper Philipp Kohn after hitting the underside of the crossbar.
Had Chelsea lost against the Austrian champions, they would have had to get a result at home to Dinamo Zagreb on…
Source : espn
