We were able to face them well and then in the second half we were able to play better
Marcos Alonso's header four minutes from time gave Chelsea the edge over hard-working Slavia Prague with a 1-0 win in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final in the Czech capital on Thursday.
The Spanish left-back capitalised on a fine cross by Brazilian winger Willian, the tireless mastermind of Chelsea's attack on a chilly night. Willian came close to scoring on 25 minutes but slammed his effort onto the crossbar.
"We knew very well that to play here is really very difficult," Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri said, pointing out Slavia's "very physical and aggressive" style. "We had to face difficulties during the match. We were able to face them well and then in the second half we were able to play better. We need to think that the second leg will be difficult because these opponents are very dangerous away. We need to be careful," Sarri added.
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