England duo Harry Kane and Cole Palmer shine as Chelsea fall 3-1 to Bayern Munich in Blues’ Champions League return
While it was nice to see Chelsea back in the UEFA Champions League, that 3-1 loss to Bayern Munich was a painful watch.
The Blues weren’t even that bad, but the sheer number of individual errors made me want to pull my hair out.
It’s going to get to a point where the only thing I will remember about this game is how brilliant Cole Palmer is, and the stunning goal he scored for Chelsea in his 100th appearance.
Read on as Sports News Blitz deputy content editor and Chelsea fan, Nicole Powell, relives a bittersweet night in Munich.
Palmer brilliance amid chaos
How can I not start by talking about none other than Cole Palmer himself?
His 100th Chelsea appearance. His first Champions League game in Royal Blue. And, of course, a world-class goal to cap it all off.
After months of criticism and hearing commentators say “Cole Palmer hasn’t scored a non-penalty goal in x days/months,” it feels euphoric to see that Palmer is well and truly back.
The 23-year-old has had a good few months, but an injury scare made life at Stamford Bridge a different kind of cold.
Unavailable against West Ham and Fulham in the Premier League, Palmer made his return against Brentford, scoring off the bench, as if he’d never left.
And in Chelsea’s first game back in the Champions League since April 2023, he looked to be the only outfield Chelsea player actually trying to win the game.
Defensive lapses prove costly
Enzo Maresca’s men conceded 20 minutes in, and while I would like to have a word with the referee, Chelsea’s downfall once again came down to individual mistakes.
Soon after, Harry Kane doubled Bayern’s lead from the penalty spot after a Moises Caicedo foul.
Chelsea’s No.10, however, had a timely response and brought them back into the game, netting a brilliant goal.
2-1. Not all hope was lost, and Chelsea still looked strong in the first half.
But playing against Germany’s dominant force, and a referee - yes, I’m still mad - when last season we were playing in Kazakhstan was never going to be easy.
While, for some reason, Maresca delayed making much-needed substitutions, Chelsea conceded a third. And yes, it was Harry Kane again, and yes, it was another individual error.
More frustrations in a long-awaited return
When I saw Alejandro Garnacho come on before Estevao, I nearly turned off the game. But I had to remind myself that experience is valuable, and the former Manchester United winger actually impressed against Brentford.
Again, Palmer was the man bailing Chelsea out, and he thought he had scored another 90 minutes in, but VAR ruled it out for offside. What a goal that was, though - be kind, I am in mourning.
And just like, that, it was over.
Chelsea had waited 28 months to return to the Champions League. In that time they had finished in the bottom half of the league table, churned through managers, took part in the play-offs to qualify for the Conference League, faced teams with names I couldn’t pronounce and even beat the best team to win the Club World Cup. But their comeback ended with a harsh reality check in Munich.
But take heart, Chelsea fans. Palmer says Chelsea do not see this season's Champions League campaign as a "learning curve." They want to be competitive straight away.
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Sanchez shows his value while defence crumbles
I want to put a much-deserved spotlight on Robert Sanchez. While I don’t think he will ever stop making me nervous when he’s in goal, he put on quite a performance against Bayern Munich.
The Spaniard had some clutch saves, helping the Blues avoid even more misery. Keep it up, big Rob. Without Levi Colwill, that central defence is going to continue putting you in sticky situations.
Speaking of central defence, Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo keep making Clearlake’s decision to not prioritise signing a centre-back more questionable as time goes on.
Pedro Neto, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo also deserve a mention each, but not for good reasons. We cannot see performances like that again.
And Marc Cucurella, alone, against Michael Olise? Don’t remind me.
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