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Kai Havertz showed nerves of steel to send rejuvenated Chelsea (opens in new tab) through to the Champions League quarter-finals with a retaken penalty, as the Blues have boss Graham Potter another boost by beating in-form Borussia Dortmund (opens in new tab) 2-0 in the second leg of their last 16 tie at Stamford Bridge (2-1 on aggregate).
With the tie level at 1-1 after Raheem Sterling’s 43rd-minute opener, Chelsea had the perfect chance to go ahead when referee Danny Makkelie pointed to the spot after consulting VAR to give a handball against Dortmund right-back Marius Wolf.
Havertz stepped up, got his stutter run-up spot on to send goalkeeper Alexander Meyer the wrong way and leave the whole goal to aim at, but hit the inside of the post.
Chelsea’s German forward would get another bite at the cherry, though: several Dortmund players encroached before Havertz had taken the penalty – including the man who ultimately cleared the ball from danger, Salih Ozcan.
And it was to be second time lucky for the ultra-composed Havertz, who stuck to his technique and produced a carbon-copy penalty (minus striking the post, of course).
Jude Bellingham had a great chance to draw the visitors level just minutes later, but the England international could only drag his shot wide and that was as close as Dortmund came to rescuing the tie.
For Chelsea, it’s a third straight appearance in the last eight of the Champions League; the Blues have also recorded back-to-back victories for the first time since mid-October, having beaten Leeds (opens in new tab) 1-0 in the Premier League on Saturday.
