Chelsea slump to Champions League opening day defeat in Zagreb

Chelsea suffered their first Champions League opening day defeat in three years as a Mislav Orsic strike secured Dinamo Zagreb a shock win in Croatia.

Defeat condemned Chelsea to a third consecutive away loss in all competitions, as the Blues’ patchy early season form continued.

Thomas Tuchel’s side had a golden opportunity to score five minutes in with debutant Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but the Gabon striker decided to slide the ball to Raheem Sterling whose shot was blocked.

After a rather lacklustre opening 13 minutes, it was the hosts who took the lead. Robert Ljubicic played the ball forward to Bruno Petkovic, who flicked it into the path of Mislav Orsic, and the Croatian deftly chipped the ball over the stranded Kepa.

Orsic’s fifth goal in four games against English teams will have left a bitter taste in Blues manager Tuchel’s mouth, with Chelsea now on a run of six games without a clean sheet.

Half-time could not come sooner for Tuchel’s men, as they struggled to break down a stubborn Dinamo, offering little going forward, while being prone to the counterattack from the hosts.

The half-time introduction of Hakim Ziyech did little to improve the Blues’ spirits early on, as Tuchel opted for a 4-4-2 formation in an attempt to get through Dinamo’s low block.

In the 55th minute, Dinamo thought they had extended their advantage.

Stefan Ristovski‘s ferocious strike from 30 yards out looked destined for the top corner, but Kepa pulled off a wonderful acrobatic save to keep the deficit to one.

Chelsea finally began to take control of the game, a brilliant ball in from Mason Mount was met by the head of Kai Havertz, but Dinamo defender Ljubicic got back in time to divert the ball away for a corner.

Reece James was denied by the post in the 88th minute, with Dinamo keeper Dominik Livakovic then superbly halting Mount’s strike to preserve the hosts’ advantage.

Despite eight minutes of injury time, it was a matter of too little, too late for Tuchel’s Blues, as they left Croatia empty handed.