Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has landed another remarkable milestone after guiding his side to the quarter-finals of this year's UEFA Champions League. The 48-year-old German coach oversaw the Blues' 2-1 win over Lille in their Round of 16 second leg clash at the Stade Pierre Mauroy, becoming the manager with the most wins in his first 50 appearances.
Wednesday night's encounter began on a positive note for the hosts who were looking for a favorable result after suffering a 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge in the first leg. A penalty that went in favor of Xeka in the 37 minute was converted by Burak Yilmaz. However, the lead did not last as USMNT star Christian Pulisic will find the back of the net in back-to-back Champions League games to tie the game ahead of half time.
With 18 minutes of regulation time left, Mason Mount assisted Cesar Azplicueta to score Chelsea's second of the night, ruining any desire of a comeback for the host. The 4-1 aggregate win was enough to take the London club over the finish line as they joined the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool as the remanining English contingents in the competition.
A number of milestones were attained following the night's win, with Thomas Tuchel's feat being top of the list. Ahead of kick-off, the former Paris Saint-Germain ranked among Zinedine Zidane (31) and Pep Guardiola (30) as the only three managers to register the most wins in 50 appearances in the competition. With the win over Lille, the German coach rose to the top of the list with 32 wins.
"It's so nice that so many fans are here."
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) March 16, 2022
"We showed again resilience and mentally, and overcame difficulties."
Thomas Tuchel couldn't be prouder of his side right now!
@TheDesKelly pic.twitter.com/1HjfYP09vp
