Chelsea score comfortable win, Arsenal lose to Dinamo Zagreb
Wednesday turned out to be a day of mixed fates for the clubs at UCL as Chelsea revived their dismal spirits with a 4-0 winning opener against Maccabi Tel-Aviv but Arsenal lost footing with a 2-1 loss to Dinamo Zagreb.
The game at Stamford Bridge brought Chelsea their lost cheer, as Diego Costa, Oscar, Willian and Cesc Fabregas helped carry the team to a comprehensive victory.
The evening began with a fumbling penalty by Eden Hazard that left Chelsea’s manager Jose Mourinho fuming in the sidelines. But the English club retained form in the 15th minute when Willian’s 35-yard free kick landed Chelsea’s first goal past goalie Rajkovic.
Oscar didn’t let the first penalty glare much as he netted the second to establish a 2-0 lead. Costa furthered the tally with a clean top corner shot from Fabregas’ pass in the 58th minute.
The final goal, by Fabregas, in the 78th minute brought back some calm for a worried Mourinho, as Chelsea are still struggling to keep pace with the other clubs in the Champions League.
Arsenal felt the after-effects of the earth tremor at Zagreb when they suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of the home team on Wednesday. Frenchman Olivier Giroud’s dismissal five minutes before half-time for two bookable offences only rubbed salt in the wounds of Arsene Wenger.
Giroud was shown his first yellow for incessant protesting against a foul calling and the second for a lazy tackle. The annoyed French player seemed to see red after Alex Oxlain-Chamberlain’s own goal put the hosts in lead. Unfortunately for Arsenal, the constant needling and confrontations led to Giroud’s red card, dropping their chances of a victory.
Theo Walcott threw Wenger’s men a lifeline with a smooth strike off Alexis Sanchez but that was not enough with Junior Fernandes sealing the Croatians’ victory earlier with a second goal. By the end of the day, Wenger not only lost his prized French player but also a chance at opening the European championship with a win.
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