Europa League - Group L
MOL VidiMOL Vidi2ChelseaChelsea2

Chelsea draw 2-2 with MOL Vidi as Alvaro Morata injured

By Emlyn BegleyBBC Sport
Alvaro Morata
Alvaro Morata was hurt after landing awkwardly following this shot

Chelsea lost striker Alvaro Morata to a knee injury as they drew with MOL Vidi in a Europa League dead rubber.

The Blues, who had already won Group L to reach the last 32, made 10 changes although Willian, Morata and Cesc Fabregas were among the starters.

Willian opened the scoring with a free-kick before Chelsea teenager Ethan Ampadu headed into his own net.

Loic Nego put Vidi ahead with a fantastic volley but Olivier Giroud scored a stunning free-kick equaliser.

Morata hurt his knee while shooting from Callum Hudson-Odoi's cross late in the first half and had to be replaced by Giroud - who is now the Blues' only fit striker.

Boss Maurizio Sarri says he does not think the injury is too serious, with an update expected on Friday.

The Blues had won their opening five Europa League games, and are joined in the knockout stages by Bate Borisov, who beat PAOK Salonika in the other game. Vidi could have qualified - but needed to better the Belarusian side's result.

Chelsea short on striking options

Did Sarri need to name such a strong team for an ultimately irrelevant match in Budapest?

He even admitted before the game that it was a "difficult match to prepare for" with nothing on the line.

They named two players under 21 in their starting line-up, with another two on the bench. Arsenal named twice as many for their match in similar circumstances against Qarabag.

Chelsea only have two established strikers at the club - excluding those out on loan - and they could be down to one depending on the severity of Morata's injury

Eden Hazard - who was rested for this game - started up front in Sunday's 2-0 win over Manchester City and might be needed to reprise that role again.

Sunday's Premier League trip to Brighton is the first of seven games in three weeks.

Blues' fringe players fail to impress

Chelsea's two teenagers had mixed fortunes with usually impressive defender Ampadu, already a senior Wales international, heading past his own goalkeeper from a flicked-on corner.

Forward Hudson-Odoi had another bright game and forced two saves from Vidi's Adam Kovacsik.

Morata - who has only managed 10 goals in 2018 - looked short on confidence again, missing several chances before his injury.

And players like Emerson Palmieri, Ross Barkley, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Fabregas did little to stake a place in the first-choice line-up.

Willian, the only player to keep his place from the win over City, opened the scoring with a central free-kick, which Kovacsik should have stopped.

Only 116 seconds later Vidi were level from Ampadu's own goal.

The hosts then led when Nego, a former Charlton Athletic player, hit a brilliant volley past Willy Caballero from Georgi Milanov's cross. He had already forced two saves from Chelsea's back-up goalkeeper by that stage.

But substitute Giroud saved their Europa League unbeaten record with a fine free-kick that not even a defender on the post could keep out.

'Satisfied with the character' - quotes

Chelsea boss Sarri: "We made a lot of mistakes from the tactical point of view. I am very happy with the character and with the reaction from the second goal.

"On the pitch there was a lot of young players so it wasn't easy to react.

"From the tactical point of view we made a lot of mistakes. We lost a lot of ball. We can manage the ball better I think. At the end, especially with the young players I am satisfied with the character."

Man of the match - Olivier Giroud (Chelsea)

Olivier Giroud
Giroud's fine free-kick was his fourth goal in his last three Europa League appearances

Chelsea follow in Liverpool footsteps - match stats

  • Chelsea are the first side to score from two direct free-kicks in a single Europa League game since Liverpool against Zenit St Petersburg back in February 2013.
  • Chelsea are unbeaten in their last nine Europa League games (W8 D1), last suffering defeat in the competition against Ruben Kazan in the second leg of the 2012-13 quarter-finals.
  • Vidi are just the second side to score two goals against Chelsea in a Europa League game after Ruben Kazan back in April 2013.
  • Vidi have lost just two of their last seven home Europa League games (W3 D2).
  • Since his Chelsea debut, Willian has scored 10 direct free kicks for the Blues - six more than any other Chelsea player (Marcos Alonso - 4).

Line-ups

MOL Vidi

Formation 4-3-2-1

  • 74Kovacsik
  • 5Fiola
  • 23JuhászBooked at 66mins
  • 3Souza dos SantosBooked at 73mins
  • 22dos Santos Tavares
  • 11NegoBooked at 76mins
  • 8HadzicSubstituted forPátkaiat 85'minutes
  • 19Nikolov
  • 9HusztiBooked at 69minsSubstituted forHodzicat 81'minutes
  • 77MilanovSubstituted forKovácsat 81'minutes
  • 44Scepovic

Substitutes

  • 10Kovács
  • 12Tujvel
  • 13Berecz
  • 15Hodzic
  • 17Pátkai
  • 25Tamas
  • 65Hangya

Chelsea

Formation 4-3-3

  • 13Caballero
  • 21Zappacosta
  • 44Ampadu
  • 27Christensen
  • 33Emerson
  • 8Barkley
  • 4Fàbregas
  • 12Loftus-CheekBooked at 79mins
  • 20Hudson-Odoi
  • 29MorataSubstituted forGiroudat 45+1'minutes
  • 22WillianSubstituted forPedroat 56'minutes

Substitutes

  • 3Alonso
  • 5Jorginho
  • 11Pedro
  • 18Giroud
  • 30David Luiz
  • 52Cumming
  • 55McEachran
Referee:
Aleksandar Stavrev

Match Stats

Home TeamMOL VidiAway TeamChelsea
Possession
Home24%
Away76%
Shots
Home6
Away18
Shots on Target
Home3
Away5
Corners
Home3
Away11
Fouls
Home15
Away14

Live Text

  1. Post update

    Match ends, MOL Vidi 2, Chelsea 2.

  2. Full Time

    Second Half ends, MOL Vidi 2, Chelsea 2.

  3. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Stopira (MOL Vidi) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by István Kovács.

  4. Post update

    Foul by Olivier Giroud (Chelsea).

  5. Post update

    Paulo Vinicius (MOL Vidi) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  6. Post update

    Emerson (Chelsea) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

  7. Post update

    Foul by Loic Nego (MOL Vidi).

  8. Post update

    Foul by Ross Barkley (Chelsea).

  9. Post update

    Boban Nikolov (MOL Vidi) wins a free kick on the left wing.

  10. Substitution

    Substitution, MOL Vidi. Máté Pátkai replaces Anel Hadzic.

  11. Post update

    Callum Hudson-Odoi (Chelsea) wins a free kick on the left wing.

  12. Post update

    Foul by Attila Fiola (MOL Vidi).

  13. Post update

    Offside, Chelsea. Cesc Fàbregas tries a through ball, but Callum Hudson-Odoi is caught offside.

  14. Post update

    Attempt missed. Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right.

  15. Substitution

    Substitution, MOL Vidi. Armin Hodzic replaces Szabolcs Huszti.

  16. Substitution

    Substitution, MOL Vidi. István Kovács replaces Georgi Milanov.

  17. Post update

    Foul by Pedro (Chelsea).

  18. Post update

    Szabolcs Huszti (MOL Vidi) wins a free kick in the attacking half.

  19. Booking

    Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.

  20. Post update

    Foul by Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea).

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Scores, Results & Fixtures

Thursday 13th December 2018

As It Stood

A

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1B Leverkusen6411169713
2Zürich631276110
3AEK Larnaca6123612-65
4Ludogorets604257-24

B

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1RB Salzburg66001761118
2Celtic630368-29
3RB Leipzig62139817
4Rosenborg6015414-101

C

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Zenit St Petersburg632165111
2Slavia Prague631243110
3Bordeaux62136607
4FC Copenhagen612335-25

D

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Dinamo Zagreb6420113814
2Fenerbahçe62227708
3Spartak Trnava621347-37
4Anderlecht603327-53

E

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Arsenal65101221016
2Sporting64111331013
3Vorskla Poltava6105413-93
4FK Qarabag6105213-113

F

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Real Betis633072512
2Olympiakos6312116510
3AC Milan6312129310
4F91 Dudelange6015316-131

G

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Villarreal6240125710
2Rapid Vienna631269-310
3Rangers61328806
4Spartak Moscow6123812-45

H

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Frankfurt66001751218
2Lazio6303911-29
3Apollon Limassol6213101007
4Marseille6015616-101

I

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1KRC Genk6321148611
2Malmö FF62317619
3Besiktas6213911-27
4Sarpsborg 086123813-55

J

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Sevilla64021861212
2FK Krasnodar640288012
3Standard Liege631279-210
4Akhisarspor6015414-101

K

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Dynamo Kyiv6321107311
2Rennes630378-19
3FC Astana62227708
4FK Jablonec612368-25

L

TeamPWDLFAGDPts
1Chelsea6510123916
2BATE Borisov63039909
3MOL Vidi621357-27
4PAOK Salonika6105512-73
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