Heidenheim vs Chelsea: Conference League — LIVE!

9 hours ago

Tonight, the Blues are in Germany, aiming to keep their strong performance in the Conference League going. They are up against a team that is quite different in terms of reputation. Chelsea’s manager, Enzo Maresca, is only in his sixth month in charge, while Heidenheim’s coach, Frank Schmidt, has been leading the team since 2007, a remarkable 17 years.

Heidenheim vs Chelsea - Figure 1 — Photo Evening Standard

During his time at the helm, Schmidt has led the club from the fifth division of German football to the Bundesliga and now onto the European stage. This evening, they will face off against the tournament favorites, Chelsea, in a pivotal match for the club, just days after competing against the Bundesliga champions, Bayer Leverkusen, in their domestic league.

Heidenheim has proven to be tough competition this season, having secured victories in all three of their Conference League matches so far, taking down Olimpija Ljubljana, Pafos, and the Scottish team Hearts earlier this month. Maresca must ensure that his second-string squad stays focused to keep their perfect record intact in the tournament. You can follow the match LIVE below through our specialized blog, which includes expert commentary and analysis from Malik Ouzia.

Goal! Nkunku Scores For Chelsea Vs. Heidenheim

51 minutes into the game, Chelsea takes the lead with a goal from Christopher Nkunku.

The striker positions himself perfectly to meet Jadon Sancho's cross and slots the ball into the goal.

At the 46-minute mark, Heidenheim makes a quick offensive move. Kaufmann receives a pass but shoots straight at the goalkeeper, Jorgensen.

Back in action at the Voith-Arena.

Here comes the highlight of the half.

Ultimately, referee Serdar Gozubuku initially granted Chelsea a penalty when Mykhailo Mudryk was brought down in the box. However, this decision was reversed after a VAR review.

Malik Ouzia from Standard Sport

HT 0-0. This has definitely been Chelsea’s biggest challenge in the group stage up to this point. However, to put things in context, they have managed 10 shots on goal and hold 64 percent possession.

HALF-TIME: Heidenheim and Chelsea are tied at 0-0.

At the 44-minute mark, Casadei receives a yellow card just as two minutes of stoppage time are indicated.

40 minutes in: Omar Traore receives a yellow card for catching Mudryk's heels.

Malik Ouzia from Standard Sport

That was quite an strange decision by the referee. He granted the penalty, yet it seemed clear from the start that he realized it wasn't warranted, as he hardly made any indication of it.

38 minutes: Nkunku nearly scores a fantastic solo goal as he weaves his way into the box and takes a shot, but Kevin Muller makes a great save to deny him.