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Chelsea defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 on Tuesday to win the tie 2-1 on aggregate and advance to the quarterfinals. American fans got to watch Gio Reyna and Christian Pulisic play in the match.
For Pulisic this was his first game for Chelsea in 61 days after suffering a knee injury vs. Manchester City at the start of the year. He would only get a short cameo for the Blues as he entered the game in the 83rd minute with his team leading 2-0.
We at The18 figured that it’s been so long since Pulisic has played that people might want some super in-depth coverage of the USMNT No. 10’s return. So, here’s literally everything he did after being substituted on.
Christian Pulisic vs. Dortmund recap
- 83rd minute: Pulisic is subbed on for Raheem Sterling.
- 84th minute: Pulisic claps for Wesley Fofana’s tackle on a Dortmund player. That was some good clapping form there from the American, he looks like he hasn’t missed a single game.
- 85th minute: Pulisic manages to avoid Reyna’s flying corpse from taking him out his knee again. Reyna had a rather dramatic flop and nearly fell right into Pulisic.
- 90th minute: Pulisic gets his first touch of the game! On a Chelsea counter Kai Havertz tries to spring Pulisic down the near sideline. Pulisic couldn’t get on the end of Havertz’s pass and tracked the ball further down the field. With defenders around him he did well to dribble past several Dortmund players before passing it backward.
Pulisic and Reyna clash in the midfield pic.twitter.com/uU8H7b34az
— USMNT vs Haters (@USMNTvsHaters) March 7, 2023
- 90th minute: Pulisic was way offside with an open look on goal when the ball fell right to his feet. Everyone in the stadium including him knew he was offside and he shot wide anyway.
- 91st minute: Pulisic couldn’t make contact on a Denis Zakaria cross, the ball was slightly behind him.
- 93rd minute: Pulisic applies pressure on Emre Can and cuts out a pass that goes out of play.
- 94th minute: Pulisic tries to dribble the ball to the corner flag to waste time, but he got shoved like a ragdoll by Emre Can. No foul called. A little disappointing from Pulisic there.
- 95th minute: Nice hold up play near Dortmund’s penalty area to keep possession and find a pass to Havertz.
- 97th minute: Pulisic losses possession near Dortmund’s corner after being defended by two Dortmund player.
- 97th minute: Pulisic looked in on goal after receiving a pass from Reece James, but he couldn’t get the first touch right and his path toward goal was closed off. He instead passed it out wide near the corner flag.
And there you have your Pulisic recap!
Here were the highlights of Chelsea’s 2-0 victory. Dortmund nearly drew first blood on the night from a Marco Reus free kick in the 17th minute.
Kepa with an outstanding save. pic.twitter.com/8b4fO79RmU
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 7, 2023
The rest of the first half was all in Chelsea’s favor as the Blues were knocking on the door. Havertz hit the post in the 28th minute before Raheem Sterling tied the aggregate score at 1-1 in the 43rd minute.
Kai Havertz was THIS close to giving Chelsea the lead. pic.twitter.com/6beO5yjKeH
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 7, 2023
RAHEEM STERLING LIFTS THE ROOF OFF OF STAMFORD BRIDGE! pic.twitter.com/qB6i64wOD8
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 7, 2023
Chelsea’s second goal was a little controversial. In the 49th minute a handball in the Dortmund box gave the hosts a penalty kick, but Havertz hit the post on his attempt. A look at the replay showed several Dortmund (and Chelsea players) encroached on the penalty kick and it was retaken.
Chelsea retook their penalty due to encroachment after Havertz' shot hit the post.
Havertz scored on the second attempt. pic.twitter.com/0e1Q66U4R4— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 7, 2023
Havertz wouldn’t miss the second time around.
Kai Havertz gives Chelsea the lead on aggregate.
Chelsea score twice in a game for the first time since December 27th, 2022. pic.twitter.com/YZavcnbCAy— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 7, 2023
The Bundesliga side pushed to find an equalizer, but they couldn’t find the goal and crash out of the Champions League.
Chelsea will discover who they play in the quarterfinals during the draw on March 17.
