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Dušan Vlahović: One spin, one shot, one goal
Photo: PABLO MORANO / REUTERS
The defending champions Chelsea at home against Lille, Italy's record champions Juventus away at Villarreal: In the round of 16 first legs of the Champions League there were two duels in the evening, each with a clear role - but the favorite only prevailed once.
The hosts lost the ball while building up the game, a long ball, a shot from the turn – then it was perfect, Dušan Vlahović's debut goal in the Champions League.
Juventus' newcomer, the striker who joined for around €82m in January, needed just 31 seconds to score in his first premier league appearance.
Vlahović even set a record: Never before has a starting XI debuted faster in the competition.
Andreas Möller set the old record in 1995, scoring for BVB after 37 seconds – against Juventus.
Vlahović had moved to Turin from Florence and is considered the successor to Cristiano Ronaldo, who went to Manchester in the summer.
He scored 20 goals in 24 appearances for Fiorentina.
He has scored two goals in five games for Juventus so far.
However, that wasn't enough to go relaxed into the second leg in Turin.
Villarreal last played in the Champions League ten years ago, 13 years since they made it to the knockout rounds.
Dani Parejo is responsible for the fact that the prospects there are not bad at the moment.
He equalized and benefited from a miss by Adrien Rabiot, who let his opponent pull into the penalty area and shoot freely on goal (66').
Giovani Lo Celso (post/13th) and Arnaut Danjuma (backheel/17th) had already missed good chances for superior Spaniards.
Juventus had withdrawn after an early 1-0 lead and even after equalizing the Italians barely managed to pose a threat.
One exception: Vlahović, who missed the chance to make it 2-1 after 85 minutes.
So Juventus needs a home win in the second leg – the away goals rule has been abolished since this European Cup season.
First he didn't get the ball on goal, then he failed at goalkeeper Léo Jardim, on the third attempt Kai Havertz was successful: With three chances within a few moments, the 22-year-old was the most conspicuous player in the early stages in London, his goal in 8 minutes, a header from a corner ensured that Chelsea travel to Lille in a comfortable position for the second leg.
The French sensationally became champions in front of Paris Saint-Germain last season, but lost a number of regular players and master coach Christophe Galtier in the summer.
In Chelsea, Lille was then the mostly inferior team.
Even before the 2-0 win, the English were the eleven with the better chances, Marcos Alonso's shot was cleared in front of the line (53'), Havertz shot over the goal after a solo, where perhaps a cross pass would have been more productive (59'). .
Then N'Golo Kanté dribbled towards the French defense and in the final moment hung up for Christian Pulisic, who had run with him, and made it 2-0 (63').
The second leg will take place on March 16th.
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