Chelsea fans and Borussia Dortmund supporters alike descended upon Stamford Bridge in London for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. Thousands of fans lined the streets of West London, with blue flares being let off as police struggled to hold back the crowds outside the stadium. Dortmund fans, who had travelled in their thousands, marched through the streets of London towards the ground before kick-off, performing renditions of their favourite anthems.
However, tensions began to mount outside the stadium as Dortmund fans were held behind a police cordon. Journalist Matt Pearson tweeted a photo of the jam-packed streets and wrote: “Thousands of Borussia Dortmund fans being held behind a police cordon ahead of #CHEBVB. Couple of little skirmishes, it’s been a long wait.” Despite this, both sets of fans were in good spirits and excited for the match ahead.
Chelsea trailed 1-0 from the first leg against the German giants, but their victory over Leeds at the weekend saw Graham Potter and his side head into tonight’s second leg with renewed confidence. The Chelsea team received a warm welcome as home fans let off a blue flare to welcome the team coach to Stamford Bridge. Reece James returned at right-wing back in place of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Marc Cucurella started at left-centre back in place of Benoit Badiashile. For Dortmund, Raphael Guerreiro came in for Julian Ryerson at left-wing back. Otherwise, BVB were unchanged following their 2-1 win against RB Leipzig with England star Jude Bellingham starting in midfield for them.
The match got off to an intense start, with both teams showing their attacking prowess early on. Chelsea had a great chance to equalize on aggregate when Christian Pulisic was brought down in the box by Emre Can, but Jorginho’s penalty was saved by Dortmund goalkeeper Marwin Hitz. Despite this setback, Chelsea continued to press forward and were eventually rewarded when Pulisic scored in the 27th minute to level the tie.
Dortmund responded well and had several chances to retake the lead, but Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy was in fine form and made several crucial saves to keep his team in the game. The match remained finely poised until the 85th minute when Mason Mount scored a stunning goal to give Chelsea the lead and put them in control of the tie.
Dortmund pushed forward in search of an equalizer, but Chelsea held firm and secured their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The final score was 2-0 on the night and 2-1 on aggregate in favour of Chelsea.
The victory was a huge boost for Chelsea and manager Graham Potter, who has been under pressure in recent weeks. The team showed great character and resilience to come back from a goal down and secure their place in the next round of the competition. The fans were also delighted with the result and celebrated long into the night.
Overall, it was a fantastic night for Chelsea and their supporters. The team showed their quality and determination, and the fans showed their passion and support. With the quarter-finals just around the corner, Chelsea will be hoping to build on this result and continue their journey in the Champions League.