Chelsea v Borussia Dortmund Live Commentary & Result, 7/3/23, UEFA Champions League

Both teams return to top-flight action on Saturday now, with Dortmund facing Schalke and Chelsea squaring off with Leicester. Thank you for joining us!

But it is a tough pill for Dortmund to swallow. They applaud their travelling fans, still making a cacophony of noise in the corner even as the rest of the ground roars like they have won a trophy. It was not to be for them, but they will regroup now to focus on domestic matters.

Stamford Bridge serenades Graham Potter as he punches the air. This is the biggest win of his tenure in charge since he succeeded Thomas Tuchel, the man who famously guided this club to an underdog triumph in this very competition. Might lightning strike twice for them?

Kai Havertz's penalty reprieve helps Chelsea seal a UEFA Champions League turnaround, as they come back from a first leg deficit to beat Borussia Dortmund in the last-16! Raheem Sterling's first-half finish put the Blues on level terms, before a VAR assist put them in front. They head to the quarter-finals! Full-time, it finishes Chelsea 2-0 Borussia Dortmund (2-1 on aggregate)!

90' + 8' FULL-TIME: CHELSEA 2-0 BORUSSIA DORTMUND (2-1)

J. Bellingham

Yellow Card

90' + 8' Chelsea play it short and Dortmund try to counter. The Blues pick them off and then Bellingham is booked after he clatters into James.

Marc Cucurella

Yellow Card

90' + 6' Cucurella gets booked as Chilwell is taken down by Wolf just outside the Dortmund box. Chelsea will not rush this.

90' + 5' A corner for Dortmund sees Meyer join his team-mates in the box. Chelsea cannot clear the danger, but Wolf's deflected shot goes to Kepa in the end.

90' + 3' Bellingham fires a soft ball straight to Kepa. A pressing concern for Dortmund might be that the England man appears to have tweaked something too. Three minutes to go.

M. Wolf

Yellow Card

90' + 2' Wolf is shown a yellow card for his part too.

B. Chilwell

Yellow Card

90' + 2' Zakaria sweeps a ball across the Dortmund box that Chelsea keep alive on the far flank. A free-kick goes to the visitors though, and Chilwell gets into a scrap with Wolf, earning a booking.

90' Pulisic scuffs an attempt wide, though the offside flag spares his blushes. We'll have six added minutes.

89' Bellingham loops a header over the crossbar for Dortmund, the delivery too high for him to get the contact on. Chelsea edge closer to the final whistle again.

D. Zakaria

E. Fernández

87' Chelsea make another change to bulk up their back-line, with Zakaria on for Fernandez.

85' Reyna sticks a pass wide and Chelsea counter, but the referee brings them back for a foul on the USMNT international. Replays are less convincing when it comes to contact, though the hosts defuse the free-kick.

C. Pulišić

M. Kovačić

83' The Blues also introduce Pulisic in place of Kovacic.

R. Loftus-Cheek

R. Sterling

82' Sterling now departs in Chelsea's latest change, with Loftus-Cheek on in his place.

81' Sterling may have been flagged a few times in this game, but he is harassing Dortmund's defence every time he gets up the field. It has been one of his better performances in a Chelsea shirt.

79' It's cranking up like a pressure cooker inside Stamford Bridge as we approach the closing stages. Chelsea will have to put blood, sweat and tears into this one to see it through.

E. Fernández

Yellow Card

77' Fernandez now goes into the book for a sliding foul, taking the yellow card in order to break down Dortmund's attack. Chelsea clear the free-kick from Reus afterwards.

D. Malen

S. Haller

77' Dortmund make their next change, with Malen on for Haller. The latter has had something of a quiet game today.

76' Gallagher has the ball in the box! But again, it is an offside call against Sterling that will deny Chelsea. The latter broke for a pass before squaring to his England team-mate for a simple finish. An escape for Dortmund.

75' Another Blues corner, and this time it is drifted towards Fofana. He gets his run wrong in the box and Dortmund clear their lines.

73' The set-piece is dealt with by Dortmund's defence before Chelsea fall foul of the offside flag. Sule subsequently pushes an effort wide down the other end for the visitors.

71' A superb counter-move digs the Blues out of a little bit of danger now and James combines with Gallagher to help earn the hosts a corner.

69' There's going to be a healthy portion of injury time in this game at least thanks to the early penalty saga, but Chelsea are more than just clinging on in this game. They are under the pump, yet are standing pretty firm.

C. Gallagher

João Félix

67' Now Chelsea make their fist change of the game, and it is Felix who makes way for Gallagher.

Kepa

Yellow Card

65' Kepa then undoes some of that work by lingering with his goal-kick, and is booked for wasting time.

65' Kepa to the rescue again! Wolf fires an excellent low effort through a crowded box after latching onto the cut-back delivery, and the goalkeeper does well to both spot it and get it.

J. Bynoe-Gittens

S. Özcan

64' Dortmund make an attacking change now, introducing Bynoe-Gittens for Ozcan.

62' Dortmund have lost seven of their last eight away games in the Champions League knockout rounds, with the exception being a 3-2 win at Sevilla two seasons ago.

60' Can loops a ball in now and Kepa snaffles it as the clock ticks over the hour mark. The Bundesliga side have responded to going two down at Stamford Bridge with furious intent.

58' Bellingham! Oh, that could have been the goal Dortmund needed too, as confusion in the Chelsea box allows him to latch on. His poked finish rumbles wide of the right post by a matter of inches.

57' Those wing-backs have been giving the hosts an extra edge out wide, a useful tool to have against their visitors. Now the onus is on Dortmund to dig themselves back into this game.

55' What high drama we have here at Stamford Bridge! It's the reprieve of the year for Chelsea, and they have not let it go to waste. Meyer now is harried in a collection too. The Blues are bouncing.

Penalty Goal

53' GOAL! CHELSEA 2-0 DORTMUND! There's no mistake this time as Havertz goes to the right again as Meyer heads the wrong way. It's a lovely low finish, and it means the Blues lead not just in this match but across the tie too!

51' But Chelsea are going to get to take it again! Makkelie deems Dortmund encroached the original spot-kick and now the Blues will retake their penalty! Havertz will do so again.

Penalty Miss

50' Havertz hits the post! What a missed opportunity for Chelsea! The forward sends Meyer the wrong way with a stuttering run-up but pushes it against the right side of the woodwork. What a golden opportunity that goes begging.

49' Penalty to Chelsea! After checking the monitor, Makkelie rules for a Blues spot-kick. Dortmund are fuming over the call, and there's plenty of consternation surrounding the referee. Havertz will be the man who takes.

48' The Blues are mounting vigorous appeals for a handball early on here, and it looks like VAR is about to intervene. It came from Chilwell seeing a cross deflected back at him by Wolf's arm.

46' We are back underway for the second half at Stamford Bridge. Can Chelsea push on to seal this turnaround or will it be Dortmund sailing through to the last eight of the Champions League?

That isn't the goal that necessarily saves the Blues' season, but it might well be the one that gets them there for now. As it stands, we will be going to extra-time, but there's plenty yet to come in this one.

A cracking finish from Raheem Sterling has got Chelsea back into the thick of this Champions League tie, with the only goal of their last-16 second leg to square matters overall. But the visitors won't go quietly from here. At half-time, it is Chelsea 1-0 Borussia Dortmund.

45' + 3' HALF-TIME: CHELSEA 1-0 BORUSSIA DORTMUND (1-1)

45' + 3' Chilwell to the rescue now! It's a fine tackle from the wing-back as Dortmund come close to working an opportunity in the opposition box through Guerreiro.

45' + 1' Havertz botches an attempted finish off a cross, but Chelsea are absolutely roaring right now. Suddenly, they are all over Dortmund, with the visitors looking harried at every turn.

45' Didn't the Blues need that! After all the chances they have had in this half, particularly in the last quarter-hour, it is the breakthrough they needed. Graham Potter is delighted. Three added minutes incoming.

R. Sterling

Goal

43' GOAL! CHELSEA 1-0 DORTMUND! Sterling finally breaks the deadlock and draws the Blues level in this tie! He misses Chilwell's square ball in the first time, but keeps his composure to round Reus and smash a second attempt into the roof of the net!

42' Now it is Chilwell's turn to miss a great chance, as he latches onto the throughball and miscues his shot entirely to the left. There's no shortage of chances for the hosts right now.

N. Süle

Yellow Card

41' The first booking of the game goes to Dortmund now, with Sule shown a yellow for time-wasting.

40' How have the hosts come up shy there too? A free-kick lofted in sees them have two bites of the cherry but somehow Dortmund keep them at bay. Are the Blues really getting closer?

38' What a strike from Havertz! Sadly, it isn't going to count. The Chelsea man lofts a corker in off the crossbar, but the goal won't stand after Sterling went too early and fell foul of the offside call in the build-up.

37' The Blues steer a corner in now, but cannot make anything of the set-piece opportunity. The home crowd is lapsing into periodic silence at Stamford Bridge, a sign of their concern.

35' There's less than an hour on the clock now, which is plenty of time in this game, of course. But Chelsea will hope they have a breakthrough sooner rather than later.

33' Kovacic! That would have been spectacular if he had kept it down, with the Chelsea man's volley just skewed off-target to the left in acrobatic fashion.

31' Guerreiro lashes a free-kick in from the left wing which Kepa proves more than capable of. Dortmund, who have dominated on the ball since the first 10 minutes, are looking to reassert themselves.

30' Dortmund have progressed from five of their six previous Champions League knockout stage ties after winning the first leg, with the exception being against Paris Saint-Germain in 2019-20.

28' Havertz hits the post! How that ball has not spun into the net off the woodwork is anyone's guess, but the Chelsea man can only watch as his shot somehow loops back behind the goalkeeper and out at the opposite side of goal.

27' Can looks to be limping, in what might be a further fitness concern for Dortmund. He landed awkwardly from a challenge and is clutching his back, though he seems good to continue.

25' Kovacic naps off for a moment and Chelsea find themselves cut open on the right. Dortmund's final ball leaves much to be desired and they come away comfortably.

23' Bellingham is starting to exert more control in the middle for Dortmund. The England man draws a foul and looks particularly irked to have been caught in the first place.

21' Felix is fouled by Can, though any opportunity to convert the free-kick to pressure does not come to pass for the hosts. The visitors have upped the energy levels in the past few passages.

19' Chelsea had eight shots on target in their first leg loss to Dortmund in the first leg. That's their highest number without scoring on record (since 2003-04) in a single Champions League match.

17' Save! That's a terrific stop from Kepa, stretching across the breadth of his goal to palm away an excellent free-kick attempt from Reus. Chelsea survive their first serious test of the game.

15' Fofana has a nibble now in the tackle and Dortmund win a free-kick not too far out from the Chelsea box. This is prime set-piece territory for the visitors.

13' A sustained period in possession helps to steady matters for Dortmund now, having been under the cosh in the early exchanges. That will please their boss in the dugout.

11' Those Dortmund fans are in terrific voice in the away end though. The Bundesliga side, playing away from their supporters in this first half, might feel like they're on home turf with that noise.

9' It is all one-way traffic for the hosts so far, though Felix now goes over on his angle reaching for a ball. It comes moments after Havertz blazes wide with a right-footed effort.

7' Back-to-back chances for the Blues! Felix sees a good shot parried for a corner after Sterling set him on his way and then Koulibaly sticks a header wide from the resulting corner.

G. Reyna

J. Brandt

5' Dortmund have been forced into an early change here, with Brandt limping off. He looks to have a leg problem and Reyna is straight on in his place.

3' An early corner for the visitors is batted away by the hosts and they break on the counter. Sterling tracks through a fog of yellow pyro smoke, and dallies on his shot too long before the offside flag goes up.

1' We are underway in this Champions League clash between Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund!

The formalities are concluded and we are moments away from kick-off. The referee is Danny Makkelie of the Netherlands.

Belatedly, here come those teams now, ready for the UEFA Champions League Anthem.

As we wait however, the big question lingers. With them out of the mix for every domestic honour now, is Chelsea's season a complete write-off if they fail here? And if so, could it be the last we see of Potter? He has the backing of club bosses for now, but their campaign may well hinge on this fixture.

We're going to have to wait a little longer for this one to start. Kick-off has been delayed by 10 minutes at Stamford Bridge. It's already filling up quite nicely though.

Conversely however, Dortmund have lost their last five Champions League away games against English sides, a run stretching back to a 2-1 win at Arsenal in October 2013. They'll need to break that streak today.

Remarkably, for two regular contenders in Europe, this will be the first time Chelsea have hosted Dortmund in their competitive history. The Blues are now winless in their last two home games against German sides.

James and Bellingham might just be the danger men for their teams today. The former, of course, missed out on a World Cup with England through injury, to his frustration. The latter was arguably the Three Lions' standout performer.

Substitutes: Felix Passlack, Donyell Malen, Anthony Modeste, Mats Hummels, Giovanni Reyna, Luca Unbehaun, Thomas Meunier, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, Soumaula Coulibaly, Tom Rothe, Mahmoud Dahoud, Gregor Kobel.

BORUSSIA DORTMUND (4-5-1): Alexander Meyer; Marius Wolf, Niklas Sule, Nico Schlotterbeck, Raphael Guerreiro; Julian Brandt, Jude Bellingham, Emre Can, Salih Ozcan, Marco Reus; Sebastien Haller.

Substitutes: Conor Gallagher, Mykhailo Mudryk, Carney Chukwuemeka, Marcus Bettinelli, Lucas Bergstrom, Hakim Ziyech, Lewis Hall, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Christian Pulisic, Trevoh Chalobah, Denis Zakaria.

CHELSEA (3-4-3): Kepa Arrizabalaga; Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella; Reece James, Mateo Kovacic, Enzo Fernandez, Ben Chilwell; Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz, Joao Felix.

In terms of team news, there's a boost for the Blues too. Reece James returns from injury, with the England wing-back joined by Marc Cucurella in one of two changes. The former's Three Lions team-mate Jude Bellingham is meanwhile in for Dortmund, who are fronted by Sebastien Haller.

A tough test awaits for both sides. On paper, fresh from their high-spending mid-season transfer window, Chelsea are littered with a few more stars. But their misfires have haunted them all season long.

But the man behind that superb solo goal is missing in action for the visitors in London today, in a boost for Graham Potter's men. Having finally broken their winless run in the Premier League, can the hosts pull off a comeback here?

It's round two for the Blues and their Bundesliga visitors, after the pair met last month to kick off this tie. In Germany, Edin Terzic's men came out on top, thanks to a Karim Adeyemi finish.

Hello and welcome to live coverage of the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League, as Chelsea bid to overturn a one-goal deficit in their last-16 second leg against Borussia Dortmund at Stamford Bridge!

Chelsea v Borussia Dortmund Live Commentary, 8/3/23

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