Champions League - Group H
Zenit St PetersburgZenit St Petersburg3ChelseaChelsea3

Zenit St Petersburg 3-3 Chelsea: Dramatic equaliser means Blues finish second in group

By Emma SandersBBC Sport
Zenit
Zenit St Petersburg finished third in the group

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel said his players "changed their behaviours" after taking an early lead against Zenit St Petersburg as they drew their final Champions League group match.

A dramatic equaliser from substitute Magomed Ozdoev four minutes into added time meant holders Chelsea failed to top their group.

Ozdoev scored a stunning half-volley from the edge of the box after Chelsea had come from behind to lead 3-2 with minutes left.

Timo Werner scored in both halves and also set up Romelu Lukaku after Zenit had come from 1-0 down to lead 2-1.

But Ozdoev's strike meant Chelsea finish behind Juventus, who beat Malmo.

Chelsea need to get back to basics - Tuchel

"We had a very good first 15 minutes and then we stopped doing the things we did in the first 15 minutes," said Tuchel.

"We were forgetting why we were the better team. Our behaviour changed when we had the lead and this is something we never did and we should never do.

"We do the things that we want to do on the highest level and we push ourselves and it hurts and it has to hurt.

"You have to play through pain - physical pain - and you have to raise your level of concentration and you have to overcome adversity.

"If you change your behaviour because of the score, you allow the possibility to get punished. It's as easy as the basics. The basics need to be pushed onto a higher level while we are in the lead."

Tuchel's side - whose only defeat during the group stages came in Turin when they lost 1-0 to Juventus - made the perfect start, Werner reacting to poke in the opener within three minutes.

Two goals in quick succession from Claudinho and Sardar Azmoun saw Zenit go in front at the break, before Werner's one-two with Ross Barkley helped tee up Lukaku for Chelsea's second.

Werner, who was a threat for Chelsea throughout, showed composure to make it 3-2 when substitute Christian Pulisic played him in with five minutes remaining.

But Ozdoev's stunning stoppage-time strike ensured Juventus topped Group H, while Zenit finished in third and will go into the Europa League play-offs in February.

Chelsea troubled by Zenit

Timo Werner scores
Timo Werner scored twice and picked up an assist in Russia

Tuchel made eight changes for the game in Russia, saying fresh legs were needed to manage a heavy fixture schedule in December.

Lukaku, returning to the side for the first time since October after injury, lacked sharpness but was in the right place to tap in Werner's cut-back in the second half.

Werner thought he had given Chelsea victory when he slotted in his second late on - anxiously awaiting a check from the video assistant referee for a potential offside.

But Zenit, who had threatened Chelsea on numerous occasions in the first half, remained a threat deep into stoppage time.

Earlier misses from Mason Mount, Werner and Saul will add to Chelsea's disappointment but Zenit also had chances of their own - Azmoun was denied in a one-on-one with Kepa Arrizabalaga in the first half and again from a header in the second.

Chelsea end the group stage with four wins from six games, two points off Juventus.

Player of the match

DzyubaArtem Dzyuba

with an average of 7.73

Zenit St Petersburg

  1. Squad number22Player nameDzyuba
    Average rating

    7.73

  2. Squad number27Player nameOzdoev
    Average rating

    7.63

  3. Squad number21Player nameErokhin
    Average rating

    7.56

  4. Squad number4Player nameKrugovoy
    Average rating

    7.37

  5. Squad number7Player nameAzmoun
    Average rating

    7.28

  6. Squad number17Player nameMostovoy
    Average rating

    7.28

  7. Squad number6Player nameLovren
    Average rating

    7.27

  8. Squad number11Player nameClaudinho
    Average rating

    7.14

  9. Squad number10Player nameMalcom
    Average rating

    7.02

  10. Squad number8Player nameWendel
    Average rating

    6.94

  11. Squad number14Player nameKuzyaev
    Average rating

    6.81

  12. Squad number5Player nameBarrios
    Average rating

    6.79

  13. Squad number3Player nameDouglas Santos
    Average rating

    6.62

  14. Squad number41Player nameKerzhakov
    Average rating

    6.53

  15. Squad number44Player nameRakitskiy
    Average rating

    6.48

  16. Squad number15Player nameKaravaev
    Average rating

    6.38

Chelsea

  1. Squad number11Player nameWerner
    Average rating

    7.24

  2. Squad number19Player nameMount
    Average rating

    5.85

  3. Squad number9Player nameLukaku
    Average rating

    5.70

  4. Squad number24Player nameJames
    Average rating

    5.58

  5. Squad number1Player nameArrizabalaga
    Average rating

    5.42

  6. Squad number28Player nameAzpilicueta
    Average rating

    5.15

  7. Squad number10Player namePulisic
    Average rating

    5.14

  8. Squad number29Player nameHavertz
    Average rating

    5.06

  9. Squad number4Player nameChristensen
    Average rating

    4.95

  10. Squad number18Player nameBarkley
    Average rating

    4.83

  11. Squad number22Player nameZiyech
    Average rating

    4.77

  12. Squad number20Player nameHudson-Odoi
    Average rating

    4.74

  13. Squad number3Player nameAlonso
    Average rating

    4.68

  14. Squad number17Player nameSaúl
    Average rating

    4.32

  15. Squad number31Player nameSarr
    Average rating

    4.16

Line-ups

Zenit St Petersburg

Formation 4-1-4-1

  • 41Kerzhakov
  • 15Karavaev
  • 6LovrenBooked at 60mins
  • 44RakitskiySubstituted forKrugovoyat 65'minutes
  • 3dos Santos Justino de Melo
  • 5Barrios
  • 10MalcomSubstituted forErokhinat 80'minutes
  • 14KuzyaevSubstituted forOzdoevat 80'minutes
  • 8Valle da SilvaSubstituted forMostovoyat 51'minutes
  • 11Rodrigues Parisi Leonel
  • 7AzmounSubstituted forDzyubaat 79'minutes

Substitutes

  • 4Krugovoy
  • 17Mostovoy
  • 19Sutormin
  • 21Erokhin
  • 22Dzyuba
  • 27Ozdoev
  • 64Kravtsov
  • 71Odoevskiy
  • 85Kuznetsov
  • 91Byazrov
  • 94Khotulev

Chelsea

Formation 3-4-1-2

  • 1Arrizabalaga
  • 28Azpilicueta
  • 4Christensen
  • 31Sarr
  • 20Hudson-OdoiBooked at 37minsSubstituted forPulisicat 65'minutes
  • 24James
  • 18BarkleySubstituted forZiyechat 65'minutes
  • 17SaúlSubstituted forAlonsoat 76'minutes
  • 19Mount
  • 9LukakuSubstituted forHavertzat 75'minutes
  • 11Werner

Substitutes

  • 2Rüdiger
  • 3Alonso
  • 6Thiago Silva
  • 10Pulisic
  • 12Loftus-Cheek
  • 13Bettinelli
  • 16Mendy
  • 22Ziyech
  • 29Havertz
Referee:
Serdar Gözübüyük
Attendance:
29,349

Match Stats

Home TeamZenit St PetersburgAway TeamChelsea
Possession
Home46%
Away54%
Shots
Home18
Away13
Shots on Target
Home7
Away8
Corners
Home10
Away8
Fouls
Home5
Away8

Live Text

  1. Post update

    Match ends, Zenit St Petersburg 3, Chelsea 3.

  2. Full Time

    Second Half ends, Zenit St Petersburg 3, Chelsea 3.

  3. Post update

    Hand ball by Marcos Alonso (Chelsea).

  4. Goal!

    Goal! Zenit St Petersburg 3, Chelsea 3. Magomed Ozdoev (Zenit St Petersburg) right footed shot from outside the box to the top left corner.

  5. Post update

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

  6. Post update

    Foul by Aleksandr Erokhin (Zenit St Petersburg).

  7. Post update

    Malang Sarr (Chelsea) wins a free kick on the left wing.

  8. Post update

    Foul by Artem Dzyuba (Zenit St Petersburg).

  9. Goal!

    Goal! Zenit St Petersburg 2, Chelsea 3. Timo Werner (Chelsea) right footed shot from the centre of the box to the centre of the goal. Assisted by Christian Pulisic.

  10. Post update

    Attempt saved. Timo Werner (Chelsea) header from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Christian Pulisic with a cross.

  11. Post update

    Attempt missed. Douglas Santos (Zenit St Petersburg) left footed shot from outside the box is close, but misses to the right following a corner.

  12. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Aleksandr Erokhin (Zenit St Petersburg) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Daniil Krugovoy with a cross.

  13. Post update

    Corner, Zenit St Petersburg. Conceded by César Azpilicueta.

  14. Post update

    Corner, Chelsea. Conceded by Vyacheslav Karavaev.

  15. Post update

    Attempt blocked. Timo Werner (Chelsea) left footed shot from the left side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Kai Havertz.

  16. Substitution

    Substitution, Zenit St Petersburg. Magomed Ozdoev replaces Daler Kuzyaev.

  17. Substitution

    Substitution, Zenit St Petersburg. Aleksandr Erokhin replaces Malcom.

  18. Substitution

    Substitution, Zenit St Petersburg. Artem Dzyuba replaces Sardar Azmoun because of an injury.

  19. Substitution

    Substitution, Chelsea. Marcos Alonso replaces Saúl Ñíguez.

  20. Substitution

    Substitution, Chelsea. Kai Havertz replaces Romelu Lukaku.

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