Chelsea returned to the Champions League for the first time in nearly two and a half years, and they were not expecting a start like this. The Blues suffered a disappointing 3-1 loss to Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena. They did have some brilliant moments, but their basic blunders outweighed their efforts and cost them the match.
Summarising last night's match, it was a series of unfortunate events for the Blues. Chelsea appeared the better team in the first 15-20 minutes of each half, especially in the first half.
Trevoh Chalobah's own goal was completely unacceptable at this level but there was controversy regarding the dropped ball leading up to it. The second one was a soft penalty.
Cole Palmer, making his 100th appearance for the club, tried his best to get Chelsea back in the game by scoring an excellent goal to make it 2-1, restoring hope for yet another second-half comeback. But after the break, when Chelsea tried to play out from the back, Malo Gusto was quickly closed down, and under pressure, he made a mess of things and Harry Kane scored his second goal of the night.
Enzo Maresca makes bold claim about Chelsea's loss to Bayern Munich
Taking on a highly experienced German side on their home ground was never an easy task for the Blues, who have a relatively young group with several players making their Champions League debut. Enzo Maresca remarked on this after the match. He said (via Chelsea official website):
"In terms of experience, between them and us, I think there was a huge difference.
'Whether it is because of the games they have played in the Champions League or because of the age, it does not matter. But in Munich no doubt we showed that we can compete right away."
The Blues head coach was disappointed that little mistakes and lapses cost them the match, but he believes his players will only get better in the future from the experience of playing in such a prominent game against top opposition. He said:
"So the way we competed for part of the game, we were very good. The mistakes we made are something we can learn from, and I have the feeling that we can build something special from this defeat.
'We have seven more games so there are plenty of points left."
Hopefully, the Blues learned their lesson and will begin to build on it as soon as possible, given that the first of their seven remaining Champions League games is in just under two weeks, when they play Benfica at Stamford Bridge. There will be a familiar face in the opposition dugout as Jose Mourinho has been appointed as their new manager. But before that, Maresca and his team will embark on another important away trip, this time to face Manchester United in the Premier League this weekend.