LONDON: Chelsea revived their chances of finishing the Champions League in the last eight after recording a narrow 1-0 victory over Pafos in the league phase match, early this morning.
The only goal of the match was scored by Moises Caicedo in the 78th minute when the Ecuadorian midfielder headed in Pedro Neto’s corner kick.
The result saw Chelsea move up to eighth place overall on goal difference with one match remaining, but a more challenging task awaits them when they are scheduled to travel to Naples to face Napoli under former manager Antonio Conte next week.
In the first Champions League match under new manager Liam Rosenior, Chelsea dominated over 70 percent of the ball possession but faced difficulty penetrating the Cypriot team’s strong defense.
Visiting goalkeeper Jay Gorter emerged as a key figure with several brilliant saves, including denying three dangerous attempts by Caicedo before the winning goal was scored.
Chelsea, the 2012 and 2021 European champions, are now in a group of eight teams with 13 points each, making goal difference a critical factor heading into the final match.
Pafos, meanwhile, dropped to 30th place with six points, despite almost surprising the hosts in the first half when Jaja’s shot, which was hit by Chelsea captain Reece James, simply rattled the goalpost.