"Seeing him with tears in his eyes is so upsetting" "Our season is done" - Chelsea fans 'absolutely gutted' as key player sustains hamstring injury in 2-1 Dinamo Zagreb win
Chelsea fans might be pleased with their 2-1 win over Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday, November 2, but they are not happy about losing Ben Chilwell to a hamstring injury. The left-back picked up the heartbreaking knock late in the game, clutching at his left hamstring with and lying on the pitch in pain.
This wouldn't be Chilwell's first serious injury, as he notably ruptured his cruciate ligament in November 2021. The injury saw him miss 36 games over a period of about five months.
This time, however, the England international will be in a race for fitness ahead of the looming World Cup.
The Stamford Bridge faithful were gutted to lose an important player, and took to Twitter to share their feelings:
Ben Chilwell down with a hamstring injury. Looks like yet another player missing the World Cup.
The timing of this tournament is just pathetic. And that, of course, is just the tip of the iceberg of what's wrong with it.
Chilwell hamstring injury, will be out for a few weeks, another injury for Chelsea.
Absolutely gutted for Chilwell man. Seeing him with tears in his eyes is so upsetting
That's not a good thing to see with Ben Chilwell. Really hope it's nothing too big.
Ben Chilwell down. Grabbed his hamstring. That is a late sickener.
Hamstring injury now for Chilwell. Great, our season is done.
Really disappointed for Ben Chilwell, happened in the last minute of the game!!!! https://t.co/UiJgHmkG2Q
So gutted for Ben Chilwell 😥💙 https://t.co/KdavIyo9DK
The Ben Chilwell injury leaves a bad taste in my mouth after this gameðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ https://t.co/JCNW7fBgWR
If Chilwell is as bad as is feared I might cry myself to sleep all night
Absolutely gutted for Ben Chilwell. He’s worked so hard to get himself to this position & that happens.
Praying it’s not as bad as it seems ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ #CFC
Chelsea beat Dinamo Zagreb 2-1
Chelsea got their revenge against Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb when both sides met in their final Champions League game of Group E. The Blues avenged their 1-0 defeat on Matchday 1 with a 2-1 victory over the Croatian club on Wednesday. The west London club took the opportunity to confirm their position at the top of the group and progress to the Round-of-16 as group winners.
Zagreb sadly stumbled out of Europe following the result, with their haul of four points only enough to see them finish bottom of Group E. Despite knowing they would be unable to qualify for the next round before kick-off, the Croatian side started the game brightly and silenced Stamford Bridge in seven minutes. It started with a Moharrami cross, which caused problems in the Blues' box before being converted by Bruno Petkovic.
The hosts quickly rallied and equalized in the 18th minute after Raheem Sterling drew them level with a fine finish. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang found the England international with a backheel in the box and the former Manchester City man placed it into the bottom left corner.
Chelsea ensured that they took the lead before the first-half ended, with Swiss midfielder Dennis Zakaria scoring on his debut to put the hosts 2-1 up on 30 minutes. The goal came after Havertz's cut-back was deflected into Zakaria’s path and the Juventus loanee applied a smart finish to cement the comeback for the Blues.
There would be no further goals in the game and Chelsea would take advantage of their first-half comeback to snatch all three points. Graham Potter’s side will now have their sights set on the knockout stages of the Champions League following the World Cup. Zagreb, on the other hand, will only have their memories of their European adventure to hold on to for the rest of the season.