Chelsea secured their place in the Conference League semi-finals with a 4-2 aggregate victory in their quarter-final clash, despite losing 2-1 to Legia Warsaw on the night.
Chelsea were stunned when a Tomas Pekhart penalty saw the Blues fall behind inside 10 minutes, and Legia Warsaw missed several glorious opportunities to further close the gap, but Marc Cucurella struck to restore their three-goal aggregate lead before being denied a second due to a marginal offside decision, leaving the hosts in control of the tie at the break.
Legia Warsaw wasted no time in retaking the lead in the second half, as Steve Kapuadi headed home from close range just eight minutes after the kick off, but the Polish side were ultimately unable to add to their tally as they crashed out of the competition.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
© Imago
It was a strange performance from Chelsea, who had plenty of chances to put the tie to bed but also gave away a mass of opportunities that Legia Warsaw largely failed to capitalise on.
The Blues held a massive 70% possession and took 16 shots throughout the match, including scoring two offside goals and forcing the opposition keeper into six saves, but they were unable to take advantage of their chances.
At the other end, a frail performance from the likes of Jorgensen, Josh Acheampong and Tosin Adarabioyo meant Legia Warsaw often found it far too easy to break through - something that may concern Enzo Maresca.
CHELSEA VS. LEGIA WARSAW HIGHLIGHTS
Tomas Pekhart goal vs. Chelsea (10th min, Chelsea 0-1 Legia Warsaw)
Game on? 👀
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Tomáš Pekhart gets Legia off the mark from the spot following a Jörgensen foul.
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Pekhart scores from the spot, Filip Jorgensen should have saved it!
Legia Warsaw have a penalty and a chance to get back into the tie, as Pekhart is brought down inside the penalty area by the Chelsea keeper.
Pekhart steps up to take the strike, and Jorgensen gets a strong hand to the effort and really should save it, but the ball slips past the keeper and into the bottom right corner.
Marc Cucurella goal vs. Chelsea (33rd min, Chelsea 1-1 Legia Warsaw)
A perfect cross from Sancho finds Cucurella to grant Chelsea their first goal of the evening 🤩
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Chelsea restore their three-goal lead, Cucurella with the goal!
Chelsea are working the ball around the midfield and back line, with possession moved out to the right wing to Jadon Sancho, with space to advance forward.
Sancho drives into the box, bursts toward the by-line and delivers a low cross, finding Cucurella in space to slot it into the net.
Steve Kapuadi goal vs. Chelsea (53rd min, Chelsea 1-2 Legia Warsaw)
Legia secure their second goal of the evening as Steve Kapuadi coverts from the visitor's corner 💥
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 17, 2025
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Legia Warsaw lead again, Kapuadi heads in!
The visitors deliver a deep cross towards the back of the Chelsea box, and the ball is headed back into the danger zone by Claude Goncalves.
Kapuadi is in the right place at the right time, able to pounce and head towards goal, with Jorgensen unable to direct the ball away from his net for the second time tonight.
MAN OF THE MATCH - MAXI OYEDELE
© Imago
Oyedele was one of a handful of impressive displays from the Legia Warsaw side tonight, with Vladan Kovacevic and Goncalves also producing particularly strong performances.
The defensive midfielder is our pick of the bunch, as Oyedele was a formidable defender for the visitors while also helping progress the ball up the pitch.
The midfielder made four tackles, four clearances, two interceptions and won four duels, while also making a crucial five progressive passes into the final third.
CHELSEA VS. LEGIA WARSAW MATCH STATS
Possession: Chelsea 70%-30% Legia Warsaw
Shots: Chelsea 16-13 Legia Warsaw
Shots on target: Chelsea 8-5 Legia Warsaw
Corners: Chelsea 2-3 Legia Warsaw
Fouls: Chelsea 9-6 Legia Warsaw
BEST STATS
Jadon Sancho now has the same amount of assists this season as the previous three combined (8) 🎯 pic.twitter.com/qgEPEDZHan
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 17, 2025
WHAT NEXT?
Chelsea march into the Conference League semi-finals, but they will first face Everton and Fulham as they continue their push for a Champions League spot in the Premier League.
As for Legia Warsaw, they will take on Lechia Gdansk and GKS Katowice in the Polish Ekstraklasa, followed by a clash with Pogon Szczecin in the Polish FA Cup final at the beginning of May.
Ellis Stevens
