Chelsea settle for draw after Garnacho rescues them against Qarabag
Chelsea’s long journey to Azerbaijan ended in frustration as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Qarabag FK in the UEFA Champions League, despite Alejandro Garnacho’s second-half equaliser rescuing a point for Enzo Maresca’s side.
The result extended Qarabag’s unbeaten home record in this season’s competition and left Chelsea without a win in four consecutive European away games.
The night got off to a poor start for the visitors when Romeo Lavia was forced off with an injury inside the opening eight minutes. His replacement, Moises Caicedo, almost made an immediate impact but blazed a half-volley over the bar from the edge of the area.
Andrey Santos missed a golden chance moments later but quickly redeemed himself when he found Estevão on the right flank. The Brazilian teenager cut inside and fired a precise shot inside the near post to give Chelsea the lead after just 16 minutes.
That advantage didn’t last long. Qarabag grew in confidence and levelled the score shortly before the half-hour mark. Camilo Duran’s powerful drive came back off the post, and Leandro Andrade reacted quickest to slot home the rebound past Robert Sánchez.
The Azerbaijani champions then turned the game around before the break. A careless giveaway from Jorrel Hato allowed Andrade to whip in a cross that struck the defender’s arm inside the box. Marko Janković calmly converted the resulting penalty to give Qarabag a 2-1 half-time lead.
Chelsea responded well after the restart, and Garnacho restored parity in the 53rd minute. The Argentine forward saw an initial pass intercepted but pounced on the loose ball to fire a low shot beyond Mateusz Kochalski and make it 2-2.
From there, Maresca’s side pushed for a winner. Enzo Fernández forced a strong save from Kochalski, while substitute Liam Delap and Nariman Akhundzade both went close at the other end. Facundo Buonanotte came within inches of snatching victory with a curling 25-yard effort that just missed the target.
In a frenetic finish, both Oleksiy Kashchuk and Garnacho squandered clear chances in stoppage time, leaving the scoreline unchanged at full-time.
The draw means Qarabag remain unbeaten at home in the Champions League group stage, while Chelsea’s away struggles in Europe continue under Maresca. Still, the Blues will take some relief from halting their run of defeats on the road, with Garnacho’s goal providing at least one bright spot on an otherwise testing night in Baku.
