Chelsea narrowly escaped a shocking defeat as substitute Alejandro Garnacho struck a crucial second-half equaliser to deny Qarabag a famous win, ensuring the Blues avoided becoming the first English team ever to lose to the Azerbaijani champions.
Garnacho, one of three halftime substitutes, netted the leveller after Chelsea had fallen 2–1 behind. Earlier, Leandro Andrade and Marko Jankovic had overturned Estevao Willian’s opener for the visitors, giving Qarabag a surprise lead at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium.
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The result extended Qarabag’s winless run against English opposition to eight matches. In their last Champions League campaign, they had faced Chelsea twice, losing both games by a combined scoreline of 10–0 and finishing their group with just two points from six matches.
This time, however, the Azerbaijani side pushed Enzo Maresca’s men to the limit in front of a passionate 32,000-strong crowd. Qarabag’s entire squad, valued at only £22 million, stood in stark contrast to Chelsea’s £1.5 billion lineup, according to Transfermarkt.
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Chelsea began brightly and took the lead in the 16th minute through 18-year-old Brazilian winger Estevao Willian. After a neat interplay with compatriots Joao Pedro and Andrey Santos, Estevao cut inside from the right and drilled a precise low shot inside the near post to make it 1–0.
However, the Blues’ much-rotated defence soon began to falter. Maresca had made seven changes from the side that defeated Tottenham at the weekend, and 19-year-old centre-back Jorrel Hato was at fault for both first-half goals conceded.
Qarabag equalised midway through the first half when striker Camilo Duran outmuscled Hato while chasing a long ball. Duran’s effort struck the post, and winger Leandro Andrade reacted quickly to volley home the rebound and make it 1–1.
Minutes later, Qarabag completed their turnaround. Hato handled Andrade’s cross inside the area, prompting the referee to point to the spot. Midfielder Marko Jankovic calmly sent goalkeeper Robert Sanchez the wrong way from 12 yards to give the hosts a 2–1 advantage.
Chelsea’s evening worsened when midfielder Romeo Lavia limped off after just six minutes with an apparent injury, forcing Maresca to introduce Moises Caicedo early. At halftime, the manager made three more substitutions, bringing on Garnacho, Enzo Fernandez, and Liam Delap in place of Andrey Santos, Jamie Gittens, and Tyrique George.
The changes paid off quickly. Just seven minutes into the second half, Garnacho equalised for Chelsea, pouncing on a defensive mistake by Kevin Medina. The Argentine controlled Delap’s long pass superbly before firing a composed strike across goalkeeper Mateusz Kochalski and into the far corner to make it 2–2.
Both sides continued to press for a winner. Qarabag substitute Nariman Akhundzade tested Sanchez with a long-range drive, while Chelsea’s Fernandez, Estevao, and late substitute Facundo Buonanotte all came close for the visitors.
In stoppage time, this continued as Chelsea substitutes Danny Bolt and Garnacho each had efforts blocked inside the box, while Kochalski produced vital saves to preserve the draw.
