Garnacho Rescues Chelsea From Embarrassment In 2-2 Draw Against Qarabag

Alejandro Garnacho spared Chelsea’s blushes on Wednesday night as his second-half strike salvaged a 2-2 draw against Qarabag in the UEFA Champions League at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Baku.

Enzo Maresca’s men looked headed for an embarrassing defeat after the Azerbaijani champions came from behind to lead 2-1 in the first half, but Garnacho’s composed finish ensured the Blues avoided a second loss in the group stage.

Chelsea had made a bright start when teenage sensation Estevão Willian opened the scoring in the 16th minute, finishing low past Mateusz Kochalski after a clever through pass from Andrey Santos. It was the 18-year-old Brazilian’s fourth goal 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.

But the Premier League side quickly lost control of the game. Leandro Andrade levelled for Qarabag in the 29th minute, pouncing on a rebound after Camilo Duran’s strike came off the post.

The hosts took a shock lead ten minutes later when Chelsea defender Jorrel Hato handled Duran’s cross in the box. Marko Jankovic calmly converted the resulting penalty, sending Robert Sánchez the wrong way to give Qarabag a 2-1 halftime lead.

Maresca reacted with a triple substitution after the break, bringing on Garnacho, Enzo Fernández, and Liam Delap — a move that immediately paid off.

In the 52nd minute, Delap’s clever pass found Garnacho on the edge of the area, and the Argentine lashed a fierce drive beyond Kochalski for his second goal since joining Chelsea in August.

Fernández nearly gave Chelsea the lead moments later, forcing a fingertip save from the Qarabag goalkeeper, while Garnacho saw another close-range effort repelled late on.

Despite dominating the closing stages, Chelsea could not find a winner — meaning both teams remain level on seven points after four matches, each still in contention for a top-eight finish that guarantees automatic qualification for the Round of 16.

The draw extends Chelsea’s winless away run in the Champions League to over three years, with their last victory on the road dating back to October 2022.

The result underlined the spirited performance of Qarabag — once mocked as “Carrier Bag” during their debut campaign eight years ago — who continue to surprise in this year’s competition with memorable results against Benfica, Copenhagen, and now Chelsea.

Chelsea, who spent over £1.5 billion on new signings across the last three seasons, will look to regroup ahead of their Premier League clash with Wolves at Stamford Bridge this Saturday.