Photogallery
Photo: Martin Meissner, CTK/AP
Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández (right) in a duel with Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham.Photo: Martin MeissnerČTK/AP
On the other hand, it should be mentioned that Fernández did not have an easy job at all. After all, speed is one of Adeyemi’s strongest points, and defending a similar player when there are tens of meters of free space behind you is a really difficult task.
“As a defender, I would find the moment when I stop that player, even at the cost of a foul or a certain risk,” František Straka, the former coach of both “S” Prague, was looking for a recipe for similar situations. In the event of an illegal intervention, however, Fernández would have headed to the showers prematurely, as there was no teammate behind him except the Kepa goalkeeper. “The art of defending is disappearing,” added England international Joe Cole indiscriminately.
But the 22-year-old Argentine did everything to make up for his hesitation. He tirelessly tried to direct the Blues’ offensive and at the very end he almost equalized with a beautiful shot, which was brilliantly eliminated by Dortmund’s goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.
Bad luck in the end was generally a stumbling block for Chelsea in yesterday’s duel. For example, Joao Felix missed two good opportunities in the first half. His first shot was over the goal, and the next hit the crossbar. “I would have expected him to bring more calm in the end,” ex-Everton midfielder Leon Osman marveled in the BBC studio. He then came close to equalizing a quarter of an hour before the end of stoppage time by stopper Kalidou Koulibaly, whose shot from the goal line was kicked by Emre Can. “The boys were great. We just needed a bit more luck, we created enough chances to score,” Blues coach Graham Potter lamented.
His team will have to make up for a one-goal loss at home. Until then, however, they would need to take action in the league as well, as they have won only once out of the last nine competitive matches. “We are still struggling at this point. But I can promise that we will continue to work hard,” concluded Potter.
