By Conference League favourites Chelsea took control of their last-16 tie against Copenhagen with a narrow first-leg win in Denmark.
Enzo Maresca’s side failed to register a first-half shot on target. They took the lead within a minute of the restart.
Marc Cucurella came on for the injured Malo Gusto. He ran down the left and pulled the ball back. Captain Reece James scored with a fine low strike from 30 yards out.
Copenhagen almost equalised a few minutes later. Viktor Claesson’s angled strike bounced off the inside of the post. It went back into the hands of grateful Blues goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
But Chelsea doubled their advantage in the 65th minute.
Cucurella was again involved. He won the ball close to the left touchline. Christopher Nkunku released Tyrique George. George’s cut-back was side-footed into the net by substitute Enzo Fernandez.
Copenhagen did manage to get a goal back. Gabriel Pereira produced a powerful header to convert Marcos Lopez’s deep free-kick. However, Chelsea are still in a strong position to move into the quarter-finals.
The second leg takes place at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, 13 March (20:00 GMT). The overall winners will play either Norwegian side Molde or Legia Warsaw from Poland in the last eight.
Blues find a way as Palmer fails to end goal drought
Poland will host the final on Wednesday, 28 May. The event will take place at the Wroclaw Stadium in Wroclaw. Chelsea expects to be there.
The Blues won the Champions League in 2021. They have a great chance of more continental success in Europe’s third-tier tournament. Victory would guarantee them a place in next season’s Europa League. At least they could still qualify for the Champions League through their league position.
They cruised through the league phase, winning all six matches. They scored 26 goals and only conceded five. They were able to do that without England midfielder Cole Palmer. He was left out of the squad for that part of the competition to manage his workload.
Maresca has been able to give his squad members game time in this tournament. He named teenage forward Shumaira Mheuka in the starting 11. The England Under-19 international, at 17 years 137 days, made history. He became Chelsea’s youngest player to start a match in major European competition.
He was ineffective. As a result, he was part of a Maresca triple substitution at half-time. His side instantly scored in the second half.
Copenhagen were at the top of the Danish Superliga. They were playing their 15th match of the competition. This was after they began in the second qualifying round in July. They have beaten Scottish duo Kilmarnock and Hearts. They also edged past German side Heidenheim after extra time of their play-off last month. They won 4-3 on aggregate.
There was a fine atmosphere at the Parken Stadium. However, the action on the pitch initially disappointed. It was an uninspiring first half.
Copenhagen had the only shot on target. Elias Achouri took a low shot. Sanchez easily saved it after only four minutes.
Palmer has not scored a goal in eight matches. He volleyed wide from 22 yards. A George header was well off target in Chelsea’s only notable first-half attempts.
The action had to improve. It did with a much better second half. Chelsea now only need a draw in the second leg at home. They can finish off the job in seven days’ time.
