/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63613936/1143553317.jpg.5.jpg)
LIVE BLOG
90+3min: David Luiz clears a cross and it’s done. Chelsea win.
90min: 3 minutes added on after Hudson-Odoi fails to clear and Slavia get another chance to shoot. Well over. Kovačić wins a free kick after dribbling through the center.
89min: David Luiz gets called for a handball after missing his header, just outside the penalty area! Almost a disaster. Stoch takes the free kick but Willian blocks it for a throw.
86min: Hudson-Odoi gets a few minutes at the end, on for the impactful Pedro.
81min: Game starting to peter out a bit, as Stoch tires his luck from range. Kepa gets a yellow for taking too long apparently on the goal kick.
77min: Slavia keeping up the pressure and win a corner. Stoch replaces Sevcik.
75min: Emerson goes into the book for a late challenge.
72min: Kúdela, who fouled Hazard repeatedly in the first-half, finally goes into the book after he takes out Willian cynically.
71min: In the other quarterfinal of interest, Eintracht have taken a 2-0 lead and as things stand, would advance against Benfica.
70min: Jorginho replaces Barkley to possibly add some passing-quality back into the midfield.
69min: Kanté gets the ball nicked off his toes and Slavia work another opportunity, but Kral’s long shot is partially blocked by Kovačić. Barkley then turns the ball over, but David Luiz prevents the through ball from finding Olayinka in the penalty area.
68min: Kanté and Pedro bumble around in midfield giving the ball away repeatedly before Pedro passes out of bounds.
64min: Great ball from Hazard finds Emerson, but his cross is blocked for a corner. Hazard plays that short, then has a couple crosses blocked, who’s then withdrawn for Willian. Probably should’ve done this earlier, like at the half.
62min: Chelsea survive as Slavia cut the Blues open once again, but the far post finish goes awry on a slip.
59min: Slavia look to be in behind Christensen on a long ball, but Olayinka’s called offside.
55min: GOAL!! Slavia! Again, it’s Ševčík, and this time he doesn’t need a screen as he blasts one into the top corner. 4-3 Chelsea, 5-3 on aggregate.
53min: Soucek picks up a yellow for dragging back Barkley.
51min: GOAL! Slavia! Immediately from the miss, Slavia come forward and Ševčík spanks one towards the goal. Screened by two players, Kepa is just a little late to it, and it’s a goal for Slavia! Chelsea lead down to 4-2, 5-2 on aggregate.
51min: Chelsea should’ve had another one after Deli gives the ball away and Hazard is in the penalty area, but his pass back to Pedro is too slow and the opportunity for the hat-trick is gone.
47min: Christensen gives away a free kick, which is cleared by David Luiz for a corner in a clash of knees with Boril. Soucek gets on the end of this corner, too, but heads over while also heading into the back of Kante’s head. Ouch.
46min: Back underway after Chelsea take their sweet time coming out of the dressing room, much to the annoyance of the fitness coach. No changes for either side.
45+1min: Half time. This one’s been done and dusted for a while. Elsewhere, Arsenal lead Napoli 1-0 as do Valencia against Villarreal. The only match-up that’s in doubt is in Frankfurt, where Eintracht lead Benfica 1-0 after the first leg finished 4-2 to Benfica.
42min: Hazard comes forward, gingerly, and lays it back to Emerson, whose first-time shot is blocked by a shoulder for a corner. The corner is played short, then miscontrolled by Hazard and Chelsea have to retreat into their own half before starting to build again.
41min: Slavia have a free kick from 30 yards and chip it towards the far post again, but this time it evades everyone and goes out for a goal kick.
38min: Giroud stays down after an awkward landing, but looks okay to carry on.
34min: Ross Barkley tries a fancy flick in the area, but it doesn’t quite come off and the goalkeeper collects.
32min: No goals for six minutes. Inconceivable!
26min: GOAL!! PEDRO!! Straight from kick-off, Chelsea come forward through Hazard and Emerson. His cross is turned goalwards by Giroud, and it’s blocked. But the rebound falls to Pedro, who turns it home for his second of the night. 4-1, CHELSEA!
25min: ...but from the corner, Soucek powers a free header into the back of the net. 3-1, Chelsea.
24min: Kovačić takes out Masopust with a sliding challenge just outside the corner of the penalty area. The free kick is floated towards the far post, where Deli beats Christensen, but Kepa keeps the downward header out with a kick save.
20min: Hazard down for treatment again as his left leg gets studded again. Maybe take him off now that the job is done?
17min: GOAL!! Giroud! David Luiz wins the ball and starts the counter with a great header. Pedro squares up his defender, then lays the ball across to Giroud, who has the simplest of finishes to make it 3-0, CHELSEA, 4-0 on aggregate.
16min: Zmrhal gets forward on the left and finds himself on the end of a deep cross after Azpilicueta fails to deal with it. But the shot is well wide of Kepa’s far post.
15min: Slavia looking to battle back, but Chelsea staying strong and organized at the back.
9min: GOAL!! Pedro? Should’ve been Pedro’s goal as Hazard lays a ball across the 6-yard box, but Pedro somehow hits the post ... but the ball rebounds right into the face of a crashing Deli, and it’s a goal anyway! LOL. 2-0, CHELSEA, 3-0 on aggregate. This game’s pretty much over.
5min: GOAL!! PEDRO!! Kanté plays wide to Pedro, who plays a 1-2 with Azpilicueta, then plays a 1-2 with Giroud, and then lobs the goalkeeper. Fantastic goal! 1-0, CHELSEA, 2-0 on aggregate.
3min: Hazard fouled again, this time getting some studs raked down his Achilles, tearing his sock. He gets a bit of treatment and limps gingerly back on.
2min: Less than two minutes for Hazard to get kicked on the ankles. Kúdela with the foul on halfway.
KICK-OFF: Slavia get the match underway. They need to score to have any hope. David Luiz chests the long ball from kick-off to Kepa and Chelsea set to build from the back, under pressure.
Chelsea look to finish the job against Slavia Prague today and advance to the Europa League quarterfinals. The Blues have never been eliminated in a European knockout tie after winning the first leg away, and we’re currently on a 14-match unbeaten run at home in the Europa League, dating back to 2013, when we won it all.
So, as long as we don’t manage to royally [FUN] it up, we should be one step closer to the final and next year’s Champions League.
Here we go.
Chelsea starting lineup (4-3-3):
Arrizabalaga | Emerson, David Luiz, Christensen, Azpilicueta (c) | Barkley, Kovačić, Kanté | Hazard, Giroud, Pedro
Substitutes from: Caballero, Cahill, Zappacosta, Jorginho, Willian, Hudson-Odoi, Higuaín
Slavia Prague starting lineup (4-2-3-1):
Kolar | Boril, Deli, Ngadeu-Ngadjui, Kúdela | Souček (c), Král | Zmrhal, Traoré, Ševčík | Masopust
Substitutes from: Kovár, Olayinka, Zeleny, Van Buren, Stoch, Škoda, Frydrych
Date / Time: Thursday, April 18, 2019, 20:00 BST; 3pm EDT; 12:30am IST (next day)
Venue: Stamford Bridge, SW6
Referee: Damir Skomina
On TV: BT Sport 3 (UK); Galavision (USA); SONY TEN 1 (India); elsewhere
Streaming online: BT Sport Live (UK); B/R Live (USA); SONY LIV (India)
Be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes!