Football | Champions League: Chelsea tops Atlético in CL with Giroud’s bicycle-kick goal

Atletico 0, Chelsea 1

After his great overhead kick found the net to break the deadlock in a difficult match, all Olivier Giroud could do was wait.
And wait and wait.
Giroud’s 68th-minute bicycle-kick goal against Atlético Madrid was initially disallowed for offside and it took nearly three minutes for video review to reverse the call and secure Chelsea the 1-0 away win in the first leg of the round of 16 of the Champions League yesterday [Macau time].
Giroud was clearly in front of the defenders when he pulled off his acrobatic shot and few Chelsea players complained when the linesman raised his flag, but VAR determined that the ball came from Atlético defender Mario Hermoso instead of Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount, thus annulling the offside.
“I did not know what to think about the goal, I just focused on hitting the overhead kick and was pleased to see it go in the back of the net, I had no clue about being offside,” Giroud said. “Mason Mount said he did not touch the ball. Good for the team, good for me.”
The result kept Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel unbeaten in eight matches since he took over the squad to replace Frank Lampard.
“Fantastic result, fantastic goal. Well deserved,” Tuchel said. “It was a very disciplined performance — a deserved shutout.”
Atlético was the home team but the match was played in Bucharest, Romania, because of travel restrictions preventing visitors from Britain entering Spain.
The second leg will be on March 17 in London.
In the other round-of-16 match, Bayern Munich defeated Lazio 4-1 in Italy.
It was the second consecutive loss for Atlético after a seven-match unbeaten streak in all competitions. It was also the eighth straight game in which the Spanish club has conceded a goal, extending its worst run without a clean sheet since coach Diego Simeone arrived in late 2011.
“It’s been a difficult week but we have to keep competing,” Atlético midfielder Koke Resurrección said. “We have to raise our heads and try to win the second leg. There’s no other option for us.”
It had been a lackluster match until Giroud’s goal, with neither team managing to create many significant scoring opportunities and with the goalkeepers not having to work too hard. Chelsea controlled possession and looked a bit more dangerous, but both sides appeared to be satisfied with the scoreless draw and didn’t take too many risks. MDT/AP