Akin Ayomide
Alejandro Garnacho spared Chelsea’s blushes as the Argentine’s equaliser rescued a 2-2 draw against Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Enzo Maresca’s side were in danger of an embarrassing loss at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Baku after falling behind in the first half. Estevao Willian gave Chelsea an early lead but Leandro Andrade equalized before Marko Jankovic converted a penalty to give the Azerbaijani minnows hope of a famous upset.
Former Manchester United winger Garnacho came off the bench to bail out the Blues with his composed finish after the interval.
Both sides have seven points from their first four matches in the league phase, leaving them in contention for the top eight finish that secures automatic qualification for the last 16.
While two-time European champions Chelsea have spent over £1.5 billion ($1.9 billion) on new signings in the last three seasons, Qarabag’s total transfer outlay since 2020 is less than £7 million.
Despite that financial disparity, Chelsea found it hard to subdue their spirited hosts and they made the five-and-half-hour trip home still without a Champions League away win since October 2022.
Mockingly nicknamed “carrier bag” on their disappointing debut in the Champions League group stage eight years ago, Qarabag have proved a surprise package in this season’s competition.
They staged a superb comeback to win 3-2 at Benfica, then beat Copenhagen 2-0 at home and Chelsea were the latest to find them a tough nut to crack.
Chelsea’s players were kept on UK time while in Baku to mitigate the effects of the four-hour time difference ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash with Wolves at Stamford Bridge, which is less than 72 hours after they return to London.
The Blues didn’t arrive in Baku until the early hours of Wednesday morning, so Maresca made seven changes from Saturday’s win at Tottenham in a bid to keep his team fresh.