Andreas Christensen scored his first senior goal for Chelsea as they beat Malmo 4-0 in the latest UEFA Champions League group stage matchday. Meanwhile, Juventus had to wait until the 86th minute to find the breakthrough against Zenit St Petersburg.
The Dane scored in the ninth minute; the centre-back ghosted in between two Malmo defenders to volley a Thiago Silva cross past the goalkeeper.
Chelsea were presented the opportunity to double their lead in the 18th minute, but it came at a cost. Star striker Romelu Lukaku, who had been scythed down inside the box by Lasse Nielsen, went off the pitch injured and is expected to miss the Blues’ next few games. Nonetheless, Jorginho stepped up to take the spot-kick and smashed it into the net without any hop, skip, or jump.
In more worrying news for Thomas Tuchel, Timo Werner also pulled up injured during the first half and was subsequently removed from play; the German is facing a spell on the sidelines, as well. Lukaku’s replacement Kai Havertz put the game beyond any doubt just minutes after the restart, as he raced onto a Callum Hudson-Odoi pass before lifting the ball over the committed goalkeeper. Jorginho scored from the spot again soon after to put the cherry on top of a dominant performance.
Despite their big win, Chelsea remain second in the group behind Juventus. The Bianconeri beat Zenit Saint-Petersburg in their third group game and maintained their perfect start to the new Champions League campaign. Swedish attacker Dejan Kulusevski scored the only goal of the game in the 86th minute, flicking a cross from Mattia De Sciglio with his head into the far corner.
The Bianconeri will welcome the Russian outfit to Turin in two weeks’ time, while the Blues will travel to Sweden for the return leg of their Malmo double-header.
