By: Madellene Kalunda
Olivier Giroud’s sectacular finish gave Chelsea a 1-0 victory over Atletico Madrid, as well as that crucial away goal.
World Cup-winner Giroud has six Champions League goals this season and the 34-year-old Frenchman’s experience earned a precious away goal.
Diego Simeone’s side might have been unlucky that their home game had to take place so far from the Metropolitano in the spanish capital, but there was nothing unlucky about the final result.
Chelsea deserved the win for their defensiveness and willingness to try and win the game.
It has been a tough first month for manager Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea. He has overseen 7 games. 5wins. 2 goals conceded. Zero losses. One public dressing-down of a player and lays filled with thousands upon thousands of passes.
The net result is a widespread acceptance that Chelsea achieved an upgrade by firing club great Frank Lampard and replacing him with more of an experienced tactician in Tuchel, who has already put his own stamp on the team as he transitions to life in English soccer.
The schedule has been kind to the German coach so far, though, with Premier League matches against out-of-form teams like Wolves, Tottenham and Southampton or relegation contenders Newcastle, Burnley and Sheffield United, flanking an FA Cup game at second-division club Barnsley.
Now it’s time for the toughest test by far of Tuchel’s Chelsea tenure. A last-16 matchup in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid, the Spanish league leader, and its coach of nearly 10 years, Diego Simeone.
“This is exactly what we want, the biggest test, because hopefully it brings out the best in us. It’s clear when play against Atletico what you get, you get hard fighting, an experienced team, a lot of mentality. “We will do it in our way, and they will do it in their way,” said Tuchel.
Chelsea have not reached a quarter-final in this competition since 2014 when they were eventually defeated by Atletico in the last four.
The second leg is scheduled for Stamford Bridge March 17 but the venue might change due to COVID-19.
