Kai Havertz keeps cool amid penalty drama to send Chelsea into Champions League quarter-finals
The Blues overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit to knock out Borussia Dortmund and further ease the pressure on Graham Potter
Kai Havertz showed nerves of steel to send rejuvenated Chelsea through to the Champions League quarter-finals with a retaken penalty, as the Blues have boss Graham Potter another boost by beating in-form Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the second leg of their last 16 tie at Stamford Bridge (2-1 on aggregate).
With the tie level at 1-1 after Raheem Sterling's 43rd-minute opener, Chelsea had the perfect chance to go ahead when referee Danny Makkelie pointed to the spot after consulting VAR to give a handball against Dortmund right-back Marius Wolf.
Havertz stepped up, got his stutter run-up spot on to send goalkeeper Alexander Meyer the wrong way and leave the whole goal to aim at, but hit the inside of the post.
Chelsea's German forward would get another bite at the cherry, though: several Dortmund players encroached before Havertz had taken the penalty – including the man who ultimately cleared the ball from danger, Salih Ozcan.
And it was to be second time lucky for the ultra-composed Havertz, who stuck to his technique and produced a carbon-copy penalty (minus striking the post, of course).
Jude Bellingham had a great chance to draw the visitors level just minutes later, but the England international could only drag his shot wide and that was as close as Dortmund came to rescuing the tie.
For Chelsea, it's a third straight appearance in the last eight of the Champions League; the Blues have also recorded back-to-back victories for the first time since mid-October, having beaten Leeds 1-0 in the Premier League on Saturday.
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Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...