Atalanta staged a dramatic second-half turnaround to defeat Chelsea 2-1 in their UEFA Champions League clash on Tuesday, a result that significantly damages the Blues' hopes for automatic qualification to the knockout stages. Chelsea appeared to be in control after the first half, but the Italian side, inspired by an influential performance from Charles De Ketelaere, fought back after the break to secure a crucial home victory. The loss extends Chelsea's concerning winless run in all competitions to four matches. Match Summary Chelsea took the lead in the 25th minute through a close-range finish from Joao Pedro, assisted by Reece James, a goal that was confirmed after a lengthy VAR check for offside. The English side created further opportunities to double their advantage, most notably a chance for James that went wide early in the second half, but failed to capitalize. Atalanta emerged with renewed intent after the interval and equalized in the 55th minute when former West Ham striker Gianluca Scamacca headed home from a superb cross by De Ketelaere. With the momentum firmly with the hosts, De Ketelaere sealed the win in the 83rd minute, driving into the box and firing a shot that deflected past Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez.
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Maresca Laments 'Easy Goals' Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca expressed frustration with his team's defensive lapses, saying, "After we conceded the 1-1 (goal), we lost a little bit of control of the game, and then we conceded the second one". He described both conceded goals as "quite easy goals" that could have been avoided. The result sees Atalanta climb to third in the league phase standings with 13 points, while Chelsea drop to 11th, three points outside the automatic top-eight qualification places. Chelsea will likely need to win their remaining two games against Pafos and Napoli to avoid a two-legged playoff match in February.
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