On Tuesday evening, Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea locked horns, with a place in the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League at stage. Based on form alone, many observers felt that die Schwarzgelben, who were on a 10 match winning streak across all competitions, would emerge as victors and end Chelsea's hopes of progressing in European club football's premier competition.
However, Graham Potter's men had other ideas, and after a frustrating start that saw several players fluff their lines, the Blues finally got the breakthrough they had been desperately seeking through Raheem Sterling late in the first half.
Controversy arose in the second half as Chelsea were given a penalty - and it didn't stop there. Due to the officials picking up encroachment by Salih Ozcan, Kai Havertz, who missed his first kick, was allowed to re-take it, and the German international successfully converted on his second attempt to give Potter's squad a vital 2-0 advantage which was enough to propel them into the quarter-finals 2-1 on aggregate.
Not surprisingly, Dortmund were left fuming with the decision, and Jude Bellingham, who, despite his young age, has emerged as a leader within the squad, was eager to express his annoyance on Chelsea both being given the penalty in the first place and Havertz being allowed to re-take it when interviewed post match.
"From where I was, it was pretty close and I'm not sure what more [Marius Wolf] can do with [his] hands [when a ball is kicked at him like that]", the 19-year-old said to BT Sport.
"[But] I don't want to get in trouble, I've paid enough to them lot. That was disappointing and the fact they've had a retake is a joke. For every penalty, especially with a slow run-up [like that one], there's going to be people encroaching."
Bellingham and his teammates will now need to turn their attention back to domestic duties, as Borussia Dortmund are in contention to win what would be their first Bundesliga title since 2012. Interestingly, Chelsea are among the sides interested in his services, along with Liverpool and Real Madrid as the English star is expected to depart the Signal Iduna Park at the end of this season.
