Chelsea FC defeated Atletico Madrid 2-0 last night, to finish off the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 tie with a 3-0 triumph on aggregate. The Blues have now advanced to the UCL quarterfinals, and they’ll learn their opponents tomorrow, with a draw around midday.
Here is a link to the information on how you can watch the draw live. It also contains some FYIs, nuggets and tidbits. For instance, if Chelsea is drawn against Bayern Munich, it would be a rematch of the 2012 final.
Christian Pulisic with the assist on the counterattack ?
(via @UCLonCBSSports)pic.twitter.com/vFVeybm5KO
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 17, 2021
Supersub Christian Pulisic finally got on the scoresheet again, with an assist on the second goal, scored by Emerson Palmieri. You can see the play in the video of the Tweet posted above. It was Pulisic’s sixth assist, to go with three goals on the season. The American only played 15 minutes on Wednesday.
After the match, manager Thomas Tuchel said that his side is the one that nobody wants to play right now. He’s right. They’re also not a side that many want to watch play right now either. They have less entertainment value right now, than they did under Frank Lampard, but who cares when you get results.
Because winning matches is what matters, and they are definitely doing that.
“The most important thing is we deserve this,” Tuchel said in his postgame media opp.
“They play with a special bond and results like this give you a certain edge to achieve special things.
“I’m sure no one wants to play against us. This will be a difficult challenge … but on we go, no need to be afraid. We take what we get.”
He also discussed where his team, one that just doesn’t concede goals every often, still has room for improvement
“We need to improve in counter-attacks, we have to be more forward thinking, use our speed and exploit spaces,” the German continued. “We are looking to be more clinical and precise.”
Finally, contract extension talks with Tammy Abraham have now been put on hold, according to ESPN FC. The report states that the 23-year-old “was expected to sign a long-term deal last season but negotiations stalled in part over his wage demands.”
Chelsea return to action on Sunday, with a FA Cup quarterfinal tie against Sheffield United.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.