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

A dramatic equaliser from Zenit St Petersburg four minutes into added time meant holders Chelsea failed to top their Champions League group.

Substitute Magomed 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.

Thomas Tuchel's side - whose only defeat of 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 fixtures 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

    5.05

  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 66'minutes
  • 3dos Santos Justino de Melo
  • 5Barrios
  • 10MalcomSubstituted forErokhinat 79'minutes
  • 14KuzyaevSubstituted forOzdoevat 79'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 75'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