Dino Ndlovu's side Qarabag hammered by Chelsea in six goals thriller

Dino Ndlovu’s dream of facing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the UEFA Champions turned into something of a nightmare on Tuesday when his Azerbaijan side Qarabag were hammered 6-0.

But Ndlovu was arguably the only one of the Qarabag players who came out of the game with any credit after a typically bustling performance in which he caused the Chelsea defence one or two alarms.

His perseverance and strength on the ball saw him get the better of César Azpilicueta on two occasions, one which resulted in a fine run and shot that was straight at Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.

Late on he beat German defender Antonio Rüdiger and cut inside, but his shot flashed over the crossbar in what was a rare sight of goal for the visitors.

Unlike the rest of the team, he protected the ball well and helped to bring teammates into the game.
Qarabag were in a large part undone by their own naivety. Chelsea were by far the better side, but were also gifted possession in dangerous areas by the visiting defence.

Pedro, Davide Zappacosta, Azpilicueta, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Michy Batshuayi netted for Chelsea, who also profited from an own goal by Maksim Medvedev.

It won’t get much easier for Ndlovu and company after this with their pool also containing Spanish LaLiga side Atletico Madrid and Italian Serie A outfit Roma.

Their next match is at home to the latter on September 27. - TimesLIVE