Chelsea maintained their perfect record in the UEFA Conference League with a 2-1 victory over Copenhagen in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie in Denmark.
A lively Parken Stadium welcomed Chelsea, who were looking for their first away win since beating Astana in mid-December. That win had come in the group stage, where Chelsea finished with a perfect record. However, their match against experienced European side Copenhagen proved to be a challenge. The first half was largely uneventful in terms of chances, with Chelsea dominating possession but struggling to make an impact. The early loss of Malo Gusto to injury after 25 minutes added to their difficulties, and the best chance of the half fell to Copenhagen’s Amin Chiakha.
After the break, Chelsea made three substitutions in search of a spark, and they were ahead within two minutes. Marc Cucurella crossed the ball from the left, and Reece James, the captain, met it perfectly, scoring with a first-time shot into the bottom corner – Chelsea’s first shot on target. However, Copenhagen nearly equalised shortly after when Viktor Claesson’s close-range shot hit the inside of the post, allowing Chelsea’s goalkeeper Robert Sánchez to collect the ball.
Despite the scare, Chelsea played much better in the second half, creating more chances. Cucurella headed wide from an offside position, and Cole Palmer’s dipping shot went just off target. Chelsea finally extended their lead in the 66th minute when a Copenhagen mistake in their own half allowed Tyrique George to set up Enzo Fernández, who finished neatly with a side-foot shot.
Copenhagen responded with a goal 10 minutes from time, as Gabriel Pereira headed in a Marcos López set-piece, despite Sánchez’s best efforts to stop it. This gave Copenhagen a glimmer of hope for the second leg. Although the first half was tough, Chelsea improved after the break, and the win gives them a strong advantage heading into the return leg at home. Copenhagen, who have already lost twice at home in their last 10 competitive matches, will face a tough task in the second leg at Stamford Bridge next week.
