Olivier Giroud scored a Champions League goal for the ages as Chelsea beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 in Bucharest to seal a vital away-leg advantage.
In a tight round of 16 first-leg tie – played in Hungary rather than Madrid due to travel restrictions between Spain and England – Giroud’s stunning second-half bicycle kick decided the contest for Thomas Tuchel’s Blues.
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It was immediately ruled out for offside, with Mount deemed to have knocked the ball forward for his team-mate, but after a lengthy VAR review it was adjudged Atletico centre-back Mario Hermoso had got the decisive final touch.
While Atletico pushed for an equaliser, Simeone made the surprise decision to take off Joao Felix as they suffered a second consecutive defeat.
It was thoroughly deserved for Tuchel’s side, who dominated for large parts and extended their unbeaten run under the German to eight games since his arrival on the 26th of January.
The only flaw from the Chelsea side was bookings for Mason Mount and Jorginho, which rules them out of the second leg, but Atletico boss Diego Simeone knows his team will need to score at least twice next month to go through in normal time.
However, the win gives Chelsea the upper hand ahead of the return leg at Stamford Bridge on , the 17th of March where the Blues will aim to make the quarter-finals for the first time in seven years.
© ControlTV 2021.
