Chelsea, the favourites to win the Conference League, have taken a significant step towards advancing to the quarterfinals with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Copenhagen in Denmark.
The Blues struggled to create chances in the first half but came out strong after the restart, scoring two crucial goals to take control of the tie.
The breakthrough came just a minute into the second half, as Marc Cucurella, who replaced the injured Malo Gusto, delivered a pinpoint cross from the left flank.
Captain Reece James met the ball with a sublime low strike from 30 yards out, giving Chelsea the lead.
Copenhagen nearly equalized minutes later, but Viktor Claesson’s angled strike rebounded off the inside of the post and into the grateful hands of Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
However, Chelsea doubled their advantage in the 65th minute, thanks to a well-crafted team move.
Cucurella won the ball near the left touchline, and Christopher Nkunku released Tyrique George, whose cut-back was side-footed into the net by substitute Enzo Fernandez.
Although Copenhagen managed to pull a goal back through Gabriel Pereira’s powerful header from Marcos Lopez’s deep free-kick, Chelsea remain in a strong position to advance to the quarterfinals.
The second leg is scheduled to take place at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, March 13, with the overall winners facing either Norwegian side Molde or Legia Warsaw from Poland in the last eight.
