Here’s Jacob Steinberg’s report from Malmö.
It wasn’t easy, but mission accomplished.
Winning away days. 👌#UCL | #MalChe pic.twitter.com/hlLJdcWxwS
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 2, 2021
Chelsea look good for the next round. Juventus will go through if they take a point off Zenit later.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juventus | 3 | 5 | 9 |
| 2 | Chelsea | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| 3 | Zenit St Petersburg | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | Malmo FF | 4 | -12 | 0 |
Full-time: Malmo 0-1 Chelsea
It closes with Pulisic going clear and missing the target. He was offside in any case. And the whistle goes. Solid but unspectacular from Chelsea. Job done, and a job done by Thomas Tuchel’s half-time switch over of Callum Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech, with one setting up the other for the goal.
90+2 min: Mendy takes his time over a goal kick to home boos, and then his teammates keep the ball in front of him. Then a foul on Barkley eats up even more time.
90+1 min: A late flurry from the home team as three minutes are added on. Now or never. Chelsea have been made to work for this.
89 min: Rudiger does a Rudiger on Birmancevic and stops him in his tracks, and somehow escapes a booking. You really don’t want to run into him. Just ask Kevin De Bruyne
88 min: Olsson flicks the ball out with nobody around him. He looks shaky, the glory days under Steve Kean at Ewood Park looking long behind him.
86 min: Off goes Berget with his sore kipper, as does Rakip, and on comes Birmancevic, hoping to score a famous goal.
84 min: Chelsea still looking for that second, but also happy to play the ball around. No point in giving up a couple of points to a counterattacking goal.
81 min: Malmo’s Berget is down, having taken one to the chops from a teammate. There’s a long break in play, and that’s punctuated by some very loud singing from the home fans.
78 min: All Chelsea, and that second goal must surely come. Havertz is played through and is denied by Dahlin. Again, he could have been more decisive there. He’s...not a natural centre forward.
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76 min: Pulisic back for the first time since August and injury sustained on USMNT duty. He starts off with a dart into the box, and does well to dig the ball out after falling to the floor.
74 min: Here come Barkley and Pulisic for goalscorer Ziyech and assist supplier Hudson-Odoi. And off goes the often dangerous Nanasi for Nalic for Malmo.
72 min: Ross Barkley coming on? Tuchel has a strong squad but does seem to use it well, keeping most players happy while doing that. He himself is not happy when Ziyech overplays rather than getting a shot away.
70 min: Paul Rhys get back in touch: “Ah, you chose to do Finnish instead? Classic Macclesfieldian.” The word you are looking for is Maxonian.
69 min: Thiago Silva is now booked for a tactical Fernandinho foul as Rakip had got away from him.
67 min: Credit to the Malmo fans, as they keep up the noise as their team retreats ever backwards. Havertz might have done better with Rudiger ball; would Lukaku have done better? Probably he would have been a bit braver. Meanwhile, Silva has a header cleared off the line.
64 min: Rakip has a shot for Malmo. I’m not sure of the geography of this stadium but it flies over and may well be heading for Denmark. He also goes down with an injury, having over-extended himself.
62 min: Loftus-Cheek almost gets on the end of an Azpilicueta pass; Chelsea interchanging positions now, and causing all sorts of trouble.
60 min: Chelsea ratcheted up the pressure, got their goal and will now chase another. Patient stuff from them tonight.
58 min: Two Malmo changes. On comes Martin Olsson, once of Norwich and Blackburn, plus Swansea. And Lewicki replaces Pena.
Goal! Malmo 0-1 Chelsea (Ziyech, 56)
That’s Ziyech’s goal drought over. Lovely curling pass from Hudson-Odoi and from the other wing, Ziyech strokes in. All hail Tactics Tom.
Updated
53 min: Meanwhile, Loftus-Cheek makes a fine save from Dahlin after some fine skill. Was it a good save? Actually, no. He seemed to flinch and it came off his chest and face. Chelsea knocking on the door here.
50 min: Pedantry corner:
First: Ed Rostron. “Just a minor bit of pedantry here: Malmö’s stadium may be full for the first time in a while, if by a while you mean the ten days since their last home game; Sweden lifted attendance restrictions at the end of September and the biggest teams have been getting near full houses.
That came from Thomas Tuchel himself, that gem of wrong info.
Second, Paul Rhys: “Tut tut John, don’t you know your Swedish? You can’t say, “The Swedish Allsvenskan”. The “an” at the end is already the “the”. So you just said “The Swedish The All-Swedish”. Schoolboy error.”
Ain’t you never heard of The MLS, and the El Clasico? It would only be a schoolboy error if I had learned Swedish at Kings School, Macclesfield.
Updated
49 min: Malmo are keeping up their level of energy and it’s getting scrappy in midfield.
47 min: Tactics from Tom? Hudson-Odoi out to the right, and Ziyech into the inside left. That would appear the more direct method of getting at Malmo.
Updated
46 min: We are back, and there appear to have been no half-time changes in Sweden. Now, will Malmo tire after their first-half efforts? That’s often the course of things.
Updated
Half-time: Malmo 0-0 Chelsea
All Chelsea but little in the way of chances of any quality. Malmo have defended well, and shown the odd glimpse of attacking danger. Chelsea need to win here if they want to win the group, and changes could be imminent.
45 min: This half seems to be ebbing away. Thomas Tuchel has some tactics to sort out at the break. But what’s this? Malmo go close. Pena chips up and Rakip volleys wide. That was close, and actually as close anyone has come in a half that comes to its end.
43 min: Jorginho penalised for a very slight touch on Innocent, who doesn’t live up to his name in falling to the ground.
41 min: Malmo are really growing into this one, though how long can they keep it up? Chelsea are getting frustrated, and Loftus-Cheek is not happy when he can’t get on the end of a pass.
39 min: Chelsea pass the ball around to the soundtrack of a wall of noise. Azpilicueta, tonight’s flying wing-back on the right, has his shot blocked. They are queueing up for this one, and Alonso looks like he might nod in only for Berget to head away.
37 min: More Malmo attacking, roared on by all that noise. This hasn’t been easy for Chelsea. This cannot be an easy environment to play in.
35 min: Almost a goal for a flying Chelsea wing-back but Alonso ends up dragging his shot into Dahlin, who is a combination of scatty and solid, like a Swedish Jordan Pickford.
33 min: This is really loud from the home fans. Their team is holding firm for now.
31 min: Malmo are pushing forward and that may lead to more space for Chelsea, who are finding it hard so far...but here’s a shot from Christensen, and it almost spills to Alonso.
29 min: Havertz had the big chance, lovely pass from Jorginho is followed by a great pass from Loftus-Cheek but the German takes his time and is smothered by Dahlin. That’s fine goalkeeping.
Updated
27 min: Malmo penalty claim, as Nanasi falls to the floor. The German ref orders him to get back up. Rightly so.
26 min: More Chelsea pressure, and still the clearcut chance is waited for. And there’s even time for some Malmo passing, though Chelsea hold their shape.
24 min: Another Loftus-Cheek miss, this time of a corner he shoulders wide, and looks none too happy with himself.
23 min: A very loud version of Sloop John B is ringing out from the home fans. This is the best trip they’ve ever been on.
22 min: Ziyech gets two bites of the cherry off the right, the second a volley off the rebound as the ball bounces up. He hasn’t scored since the Super Cup lost to incoming Toon Army boss Unai Emery.
20 min: Loftus-Cheek is found in space from the edge of the box, and sees glory. His chip sails over. He had time and space to do far better than that.
18 min: All Chelsea now, but the big chance is yet to arrive.
Updated
16 min: Havertz slips down the right side and almost plays in Ziyech, who has been quiet so far. Good, proactive goalkeeping from Dahlin clears the danger.
14 min: Chelsea are playing rather too deliberately. They do miss the thrust of Mason Mount when he’s missing.
13 min: Havertz again holds up the ball, and the ball is slipped to Azpilicueta, whose shot is saved with ease. A patient buildup, but too slow a buildup?
10 min: Havertz sends Alonso off down the left wing but his cross from the byline is cleared. And Malmo break, with Loftus-Cheek letting a pass go awry. The attack is a tad hesitant and the danger is cleared as Nanasi can’t find a way through. That was lax from RLC.
8 min: Hudson-Odoi cuts in the from the left but his cross is cleared. Malmo looking more solid, and encouraged by their very loud fans.
6 min: A Malmo attack but not much doing. Nanasi has been highlighted as a danger man but hasn’t touched the ball until just now.
4 min: Penalty claim for Chelsea! Havertz drags the ball back and looks to have been up-ended, but the defender got there first and that will be no penalty. VAR, being done in Switzerland, waves it away too.
2 min: The Newcastle legend, Jon Dahl Tomasson, prowls the touchline in his role as Malmo manager. A beany-hatted Thomas Tuchel has taken a seat.
1 min: And away we go...and after some boos for the taking of the knee from some Malmo fans, or so we presume. Their players did not take the knee.
The teams take to the field in the southern Swedish city, in a stadium that is filled for the first time in a while, and the home fans are giving it plenty as the Champions League anthem rings out.
Thomas Tuchel speaks, on dropping Chilwell and James. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is making his first Champions League start for six years.
It was a tough one as they have been playing so good and been so decisive. They have invested a lot, when it comes to their intensity. It was the moment to keep the intensity level high. [On Ruben Loftus-Cheek] He is the right type of player, he likes to drive the ball, the ball is very safe with him. We miss Mateo [Kovacic], so I didn’t know he hadn’t played UCL for such a long time. Hopefully it’s a good mix between Jorghino and him.
Jon Dahl Tomasson, the Malmö coach, spoke to Uefa.
I am extremely proud to see how the stadium transforms during evenings like the one we have in front of us. Malmö FF is a Champions League club, Malmö is a Champions League city and I think we all – supporters and the whole association – should feel involved in this journey we are making right now. We are all involved in this party that the Champions League is. And now that we are here, we want to show a good attitude.
Whatever happened to Antonio Conte?
Jacob Steinberg is our man in Malmo, and heard from Tactics Tom.
Tuchel has even come to see Marcos Alonso, Ben Chilwell and James as midfielders rather than defenders and, in any case, it is hardly as if the European champions expected a large portion of their goals to come from the back after spending £97.5m on Romelu Lukaku in the summer....
If you want to reach the highest level in any competition you need consistent goalscoring threat from your strikers,” Tuchel said, speaking as he prepared for Chelsea’s visit to Malmö in the Champions League on Tuesday night. “We hope we can have our strikers at the end of the season on top of the list.
What does that all mean? The big news is Captain America Christian Pulisic’s return to the squad, as Thomas Tuchel make three changes from the side that beat Newcastle 3-0 at the weekend. Cesar Azpilicueta replaces Reece James while Ruben Loftus-Cheek replaces N’Golo Kante in midfield. Marcos Alonso is recalled at left wing-back in place of Ben Chilwell, so that means both free-scoring wing-backs are absent, putting the scoring pressure on Ziyech, Hudson-Odoi and Havertz.
Here are the teams
Malmo FF: Dahlin, Ahmedhodzic, Nielsen, Brorsson, Berget, Pena, Innocent, Nanasi, Rieks, Rakip, Colak. Subs: Ellborg, Larsson, Moisander, Lewicki, Olsson, Malik, Birmancevic, Gwargis, Nalic, Eile, Diawara.
Chelsea: Mendy, Christensen, Thiago Silva, Rudiger, Azpilicueta, Loftus-Cheek, Jorginho, Alonso, Ziyech, Hudson-Odoi, Havertz. Subs: Vale, Arrizabalaga, Pulisic, Bettinelli, Chalobah, Saul, Barkley, Chilwell, James, Sarr.
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)
Your #UCL Chelsea team news! 🔵@ParimatchGlobal | #MalChe pic.twitter.com/nes6cwHh9k
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 2, 2021
Den himmelsblå startelvan ikväll!
— Malmö FF (@Malmo_FF) November 2, 2021
▫️ Nanasi kliver in från start
▫️ Colak tillbaka i elvan
▫️ Rieks startar igen pic.twitter.com/yCcq22irub
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Preamble
Let’s face it here, Chelsea are supposed to blast this Swedish outfit away and take one foot in the last 16. After all, they won 4-0 last time, but at some cost, namely the loss of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner to injury. Not that it has stopped them in the Premier League, where their lead over Liverpool was extended at the weekend. The lack of those forwards, plus the ill Mason Mount, gives others room to show off their skills, even if most of that has been done by free-scoring wing-backs Ben Chilwell and Reece James. Malmo have played three, scored none and conceded 11, and it looks as if beating Rangers in the qualifiers will be the sum total of their European adventures. Still, the money will flood the coffers for Jon Dahl Tomasson’s team, currently duking it out with Djurgårdens at the top of the Swedish Allsvenskan. A first goal in the group stage would be a start, but how many will Chelsea have scored by then?
Kick-off is 5.45pm UK Time (GMT). Join me.
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