BUCHAREST, Feb 24: After his great overhead kick found the net to break the deadlock in a difficult match, all Olivier Giroud could do was 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 on Tuesday.
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.
The result kept Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel unbeaten in eight matches since he took over the squad to replace Frank Lampard.
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.
It was the second consecutive loss for Atlético after a seven-match unbeaten streak in all competitions. (AP)
