Chelsea’s Champions League return wasn’t bittersweet against Bayern Munich

Written by: Henry Quach 🇻🇳

Photo of the Chelsea F.C. team during the game (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

The FIFA Club World Cup winners, Chelsea F.C., made their return to the UEFA Champions League, a top competition for European teams, for the first time since 2022. It wasn’t a welcoming return for the blues, as they fell 3-1 to FC Bayern Munich in Munich, Germany.

It was a rapid start for Chelsea, as midfielder Enzo Fernández got the first shot of the game in the seventh minute, despite not capitalizing on the opportunity early on. 

It was a back-and-forth battle, as both teams took control of the ball and created offensive chances, such as passing plays or shots. 

That was until a scary chance for Bayern came about in the 20th minute. 

A scramble for the ball was threatening Chelsea’s defense, which soon turned into a nightmare as Bayern’s Michael Olise crossed a dangerous ball into the box.

An unlucky strike by Chelsea’s defender, Trevoh Chalobah, scored for Bayern to give them the early 1-0 lead.

However, the pressure didn’t stop as Chelsea’s discipline failed in the 25th minute. Chelsea’s Moisés Caicedo committed a foul in their own goal box.

The foul resulted in a free goal opportunity for Bayern. Harry Kane stepped up and took advantage of the bottom right corner to double the lead, 2-0. 

Chelsea was determined to fight back with passion and cut the lead down to one. Cole Palmer’s run to the middle of Bayern’s defensive box struck the top left corner to cut it down to 2-1 in the 29th minute. 

Bayern was fighting to bring back their two-goal lead as Chelsea tried to tie the game back up. As halftime arrived, Bayern protected a 2-1 lead. 

The action during the second half was minimal until both teams faced shots of their own. There were great saves by Chelsea’s goalkeeper Robert Sánchez and Bayern’s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer in the 52nd and 55th minutes. 

After those attempts, Kane found an opportunity to sneak past Sánchez and put Bayern Munich at 3-1 in the 63rd minute. 

After that goal, Bayern Munich had to defend in order to prevent a late comeback, despite Chelsea’s attempts in the 89th minute. 

Palmer once again found an opening and tried to spark the comeback in the 89th minute but ultimately caused an offside ruling in which the player went past both defenders and the ball to gain an advantage. 

As the final whistle blew, Bayern Munich celebrated their victory as Chelsea looked to regroup. A long Champions League season lies ahead for both of these teams.