Chelsea club captain Cesar Azpilicueta has sent a congratulations message to Mateo Kovacic after the midfielder scored his first goal for the club in the 2-2 draw with Valencia.
Kovacic scored Chelsea's first half equaliser in the Champions League encounter, bu finding space on the edge of the box before turning and finishing past Jasper Cillessen.
It was the Croatian's first Blues' goal in 71 appearances in a Chelsea shirt and his first in four years. The midfielder joked after the match that he had "almost gave up on the "goal thing.""
Kovacic's last goal came for Real Madrid in a Champions League draw against Legia Warszawa back in November 2016.
After the 25-year-old's goal just before half time, both teams scored another goal in the second half, meaning that the match ended in a 2-2 stalemate. The result also means that Chelsea will have to wait a bit longer in order to secure their place in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
Azpilicueta played the full 90 minutes of the match, although he did play in a more unfamiliar left-back role, and the defender took to social media after the match to give his thoughts on the game.
"We fought as a team! Happy for @Mateo_Kova23 on his first goal as a blue," he wrote on his Twitter account.
Frank Lampard's men know that a win in their final group game against Lille will seal their place in the final 16 of the tournament.
