Posted in UEFA Nations League, Chelsea, Dinamo Zagreb

Chelsea’s run got off to a loss at Dinamo Zagreb

 September 6, 2022

winning twice Chelsea’s Champions League run got off to a shocking loss at Dinamo Zagreb.

The Croatian champions have a dismal record in this league,

having won just five of their previous 43 games,

but they resolutely hung on after gaining the lead in the first half.

The dangerous Mislav Orsic

scored the game-winning goal in the 13th minute by cutting in from the halfway line and expertly dinking a finish past Kepa Arrizabalaga

who was moving toward the goal.

Dinamo Zagreb – Chelsea FC Played on 09/06/2022

Dinamo Zagreb
Dinamo Zagreb – Chelsea FC Played on 09/06/2022

but Arrizabalaga expertly deflected Stefan Ristovski’s thundering, long-range attempt onto the bar.

Day-of-deadline signing Although Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang,

a former captain of Arsenal,

had a goal disallowed for offside, he mostly appeared slow on his Chelsea debut.

Just before the hour mark,

Armando Broja came on to replace Aubameyang,

but Thomas Tuchel’s team had a generally erratic performance.

Reece James’ low drive off the foot of the post

with five minutes left calmed the hosts after Chelsea attempted a late assault on Dinamo’s goal.

The other matchup in Group E has Serie A champions AC Milan visiting RB Salzburg (kickoff 20:00 BST).

Dinamo Zagreb

Sadly, Tuchel’s century comes to an end.
Chelsea spent nearly to £300 million on new signings this summer,

making them the most expensive club in Europe during the first transfer window under their new owners.

Kalidou Koulibaly, a former Napoli centre defender,

has Champions League experience,

but Wesley Fofana, a defensive teammate, was making his Champions League debut.

The pair, who together cost more than £100 million,

struggled to communicate in the beginning of their partnership,

as evidenced by the goal, where both players attempted to reach a high ball but failed to do so.

It made it possible for Bruno Petkovic to flick the ball on for Orsic,

who then advanced toward goal and scored with the coolest of finishes after holding off Fofana.

Despite having nothing to do, Arrizabalaga,

who took the field in place of the injured number one Edouard Mendy,

prevented Ristovski with an incredible stop.

Dinamo Zagreb

In contrast,

Dinamo hung on to earn a storied triumph. It was only Chelsea’s second group stage defeat in 18 games.

The Croatians’ flawless start gives them hope that they will finally advance to the Champions League’s knockout round after failing to do so in each of their previous

seven outings in the tournament.

Play

Dinamo Zagreb defeated Chelsea 1-0 in their inaugural Champions League game of the year.

In the 13th minute, Mislav Orsic gave the Croatian team

the lead by running through on goal and putting the ball past Kepa Arrizabalaga.

The goal was unexpected given how much possession the Blues

had in the early going.

However,

they failed to capitalise on the pressure and quickly fell behind.

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Thomas Tuchel’s team struggled to move the ball with accuracy the rest of the way,

and some players held off on taking shots.

On the opening day of the Champions League,

Zagreb was able to hold on and achieve an unexpected victory, while Chelsea suffered their third loss of the year.

Chelsea enters the contest fresh off a 2-1 victory over London rival West Ham. Although they are now sixth in the Premier League standings,

they will begin their Champions League campaign on Tuesday night.

Ben Chilwell and Kai Havertz, who were on the bench, scored the goals to prevent the squad from suffering its third loss in as many games.

Thomas Tuchel’s season has not gotten off to the best of starts,

but this game will mark Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s debut,

which is fantastic news for fans who have been waiting for a striker to be added.

Wesley Fofana, a rookie for Chelsea,

was exposed for Zagreb’s winning goal because the Blues lacked imagination and were wasteful in their attack.

Tuchel lamented that his team’s performance had gone horribly wrong but also acknowledged that he was to responsible for the loss.

He stated: “We are performing below expectations,

and the same old narrative applies.

“We get off to a decent start, miss our opportunities to win the game, and don’t care after the first 15 to 20 minutes are up.

In Croatia,

Dinamo Zagreb shocked Chelsea by defeating the two-time Champions League

champions 1-0. Although it was a surprise victory in the Croatian capital,

Chelsea was unable to generate many meaningful opportunities.

The visitors had a good start but failed to take advantage of their opportunities. Despite having minimal possession,

Dinamo Zagreb seized their first opportunity of the game.

Mislav Orsic was set up by Bruno Petkovic,

his attacking counterpart,

and he stroked the ball past Kepa Arrizabalaga. Despite having 66% of the first-half possession,

the Blues were down by one goal at the break owing to poor finishing.

Chelsea continued to control the game in the second half,

but few significant opportunities were produced. Reece James, a visitor, brought the visitors the closest,

but he could only hit the post. The hosts gave a performance

that was driven and committed,

thus their victory was well-earned.

As a result, Chelsea now occupies the bottom spot in the group,

while Dinamo Zagreb now occupies

the first spot. Thomas Tuchel will be under increasing pressure to produce results right away or else risk being fired.

Chelsea had the opening opportunity of the game in the sixth minute.

Kai Havertz got room to attack on the left flank during the eight minutes. The former Arsenal striker attempted to connect with a strong ball

that he sent into the area,

but he was unsuccessful. A minute later,

the Gabonese player got another opportunity, but he decided to be kind instead of shooting the shot. The visitors dominated the game in the first ten minutes,

holding 67% of the ball.

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