Alejandro Garnacho came to Chelsea’s rescue as his second-half strike salvaged a 2–2 draw against Qarabag in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
Enzo Maresca’s side narrowly avoided an upset at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Baku after a shaky first half that saw them surrender an early lead and fall behind.
Chelsea made a bright start when Brazilian teenager Estevao Willian opened the scoring in the 16th minute, finishing confidently after being teed up by Andrey Santos. The goal marked Estevao’s fourth of the season and made him the third-youngest player in Champions League history to score in each of his first two starts, behind Ethan Nwaneri and Kylian Mbappé.
However, their early dominance quickly faded. Qarabag, showing tremendous spirit, equalised in the 29th minute when Camilo Duran’s effort rebounded off the post and Leandro Andrade slotted home the loose ball.
The Azerbaijani champions continued to press and took a surprise lead ten minutes later. Defender Jorrel Hato, already struggling, conceded a penalty for a handball, and Marko Jankovic calmly converted from the spot to send the hosts into the break with a 2–1 advantage.
Maresca reacted by introducing Alejandro Garnacho, Enzo Fernández, and Liam Delap after halftime, a decision that changed the course of the game. Garnacho wasted little time making his mark—smashing a fierce shot past Mateusz Kochalski from the edge of the box to level the score.
Chelsea pressed hard for a winner, with Fernández forcing a fine save from Kochalski and Garnacho going close again late on, but Qarabag held firm to secure a famous point.
Despite spending over £1.5 billion on signings in the past three seasons, Chelsea found themselves struggling against a team whose total transfer spending since 2020 is under £7 million.
Both clubs now sit on seven points from four games, keeping their hopes alive for a top-eight finish that guarantees automatic qualification for the Champions League round of 16.
The draw also extended Chelsea’s winless away run in the competition to over two years, their last away victory dating back to October 2022.
Maresca’s side, who arrived in Baku just hours before kickoff and face Wolves at Stamford Bridge this weekend, will be disappointed not to have made their dominance count late on. Still, Garnacho’s impact spared them the humiliation of a defeat that would have dented their European campaign.
What You Should Know
Alejandro Garnacho, a 21-year-old Argentine winger who joined Chelsea in August, has quickly become one of the club’s most influential young players.
His equaliser against Qarabag continued his growing reputation for clutch performances. Meanwhile, Estevao Willian, just 18, is emerging as one of Chelsea’s brightest prospects.
Qarabag, often underestimated, have been one of this season’s Champions League surprise packages, combining discipline and determination to challenge far wealthier clubs like Chelsea. The result leaves both sides still in contention for the knockout rounds.
