The Swiss midfielder scored the match-winner in his first appearance for Chelsea.
Chelsea defeated Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 in their Champions League game on Wednesday. A first-half comeback saw the Blues secure their top spot in Group E of the tournament.
Chelsea back to winning ways!
The Blues came into the game on the back of their 4-1 defeat against Brighton on Saturday.
Similar to that game, Chelsea started the game on a difficult note. The guests shocked them with an early opener through Burno Petkovi.
However, Graham Potter’s men reacted by finding a quick equalizer. Following a brilliant back-hill assist from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Raheem Sterling made it 1-1 with a clinical finish from inside the box.
The Blues then doubled down on their attacks to complete the comeback. Only 22 minutes later, Denis Zakaria marked his Chelsea debut with a crucial goal.
The Swiss midfielder smashed Kai Havertz’s blocked cutback into the back of the net to put his side ahead. The goal came at the perfect time, as it left little room for the guests to push for the equalizer before halftime.
Dinamo, however, continued their uninspiring performance in the second period. The Blues had several more chances to increase their lead but eventually had to settle for a narrow win.
Player Ratings
Chelsea: Mendy (6), Azpilicueta (6), Chalobah (7), Koulibaly (6), Chilwell (8), Jorginho (7), Zakaria (7), Mount (6), Havertz (7), Aubameyang (7), Sterling (7).
Bench: T. Silva (5), Loftus-Cheek (6), Gallagher (6), Pulisic (7), Broja (5).
Dinamo Zagreb: Livakovic (7), Ristovski (6), Sutalo (7), Peric (6), Moharrami (5), Ademi (7), Misic (6), Ivanusec (6), Ljubicic (5), Orsic (6), Petkovic (7).
Bench: Spikic (-), Bulat (7), Emreli (7), Drmic (6).
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