Chelsea moved to within one win of the Conference League last 16 with a 2-0 victory away to Heidenheim to maintain their perfect start in the competition.
Christopher Nkunku and Mykhailo Mudryk scored the goals in the second half, Jadon Sancho’s cut-back shortly after the interval finding the France international who fired in his 11th of the season, then Mudryk finished things late on with a lovely finish into the top corner.
Frank Schmidt has spent 17 years as the manager of Heidenheim, leading them from the fifth tier of German football to the Bundesliga and into Europe, and they defied their humble status to give Enzo Maresca’s side, who had Cesare Casadei sent off in stoppage time, their toughest challenge this season in Europe.
The breakthrough arrived five minutes after the interval. Axel Disasi put in a bullish challenge to win the ball in midfield, allowing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to take up possession. He worked it wide on the right to Sancho, whose cross was collected via a deft first touch by Nkunku who crashed it into the far corner for 1-0.
Having fought hard for their lead it was nearly whipped away from them within minutes. The defence dithered in trying to clear the ball from the edge of the box and it broke to Léo Scienza who lashed it low and hard, first time towards the bottom corner, but there was Filip Jörgensen with a save.
The goalkeeper was being given the most thorough examination of his Chelsea career. He pulled off an outstanding block to deny Paul Wanner when the 18-year-old went clean through in the 69th minute.
The offside flag saved Chelsea after Maximilian Breunig’s header found the top corner. But the visitors would have the last word, Mudryk meeting Sancho’s low cross with a brilliant, rising effort into the roof of the net four minutes from time.
Lawrence Shankland’s miserable season in front of goal continued as the Hearts striker missed a penalty during a 2-0 defeat against Cercle Bruges.
The skipper squandered a chance to level the scores in the 82nd minute when he fired the ball over the bar.
After scoring 33 goals for club and country last season, the Scotland forward has netted just once in 20 appearances in a frustrating campaign.
Cercle Brugge took the lead in the 40th minute, working a man over on the right side of the penalty box. Malamine Efekele mis-hit his first-time shot but the effort wrong-footed Gordon and spun into the corner of the net.
After Shankland’s missed penalty, given after handball by Edgaras Utkus, the game was finally out of reach for the visitors following a last-minute corner. Gordon made a good initial save but was beaten by a major deflection as Gary Magnée’s shot went in off the Hearts substitute Daniel Oyegoke.
Hearts remain on six points from four matches with games against Copenhagen and Petrocub to follow.
The New Saints saw their hopes of making the knockout phase dented by a 1-0 home defeat to Djurgården.
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Tobias Gulliksen struck the winner four minutes before half-time for the Swedish visitors, who monopolised possession and scoring opportunities against the Welsh champions.
Defeat at their Conference League base in Shrewsbury leaves TNS with an uphill battle to extend their European campaign beyond fixtures against the Greek giants Panathinaikos and the Slovenian side Celje in December.
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