Champions League, Chelsea beat Lille; Juventus held: Records broken
The UEFA Champions League 2021-22 season round of 16 first leg tie saw previous edition winners Chelsea overcome Lille at Stamford Bridge. Goals from Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic helped Thomas Tuchel's side to earn a 2-0 win and take significant advantage. On the other hand, Juventus were held 1-1 by hosts Villarreal in Spain. Here are the key details.
Chelsea saw Kai Havertz score the opener early on in the first half. He was left unmarked, meeting Hakim Ziyech's cross. Lille grew in the game but did not manage to get an equalizer before half-time. Chelsea scored a superb goal in the second half following a break. N'Golo Kante found Pulisic, who made no mistake. Lille searched for an answer but failed.
As per Opta, Chelsea have scored more goals via corners in the Champions League this season than any other side (4). Since the start of the 2020-21 season, Chelsea have kept more clean sheets in the competition than any other side (14). The Blues have only lost one of their previous 11 home European matches against sides from France (W7 D3).
As per Squawka Football, Kante has provided three assists in his last six starts for Chelsea across competitions. Pulisic netted his first ever UCL goal at Stamford Bridge. Each of his last three goals in the competition for Chelsea came away. Havertz's last three goals have come in the Carabao Cup semis, Club World Cup final, and now in the UCL round of 16.
Dusan Vlahovic, who made a move to Juventus in the January transfer window, scored on his UCL debut. He had earlier netted a goal for Juventus in his first Serie A appearance for the club. As per Squawka Football, Vlahovic is the first Juventus No.7 to score on his Champions League debut since Simone Zaza in September 2015.
As per Opta, Vlahovic (22 years, 25 days) is the second youngest player to score on their Champions League debut for Juventus after Alessandro Del Piero (20 years 308 days). Vlahovic took 32 seconds to score his first goal in the European Cup/Champions League. He is also the first Juve player to score on his debut in the modern UCL in the knockout phase
Villarreal gave the ball away and a simple long ball by Danilo saw Vlahovic net the opener after 32 seconds. Juventus controlled the game from there on. However, Dani Parejo equalized for Villarreal in the second half. There was no winner.
