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The Moroccan winger had given Champions League holders a deserved lead over their Europa League counterparts Villarreal three minutes into the half hour at Windsor Park, but then suffered a nasty right shoulder injury before the halftime following a collision with former Tottenham defender Juan Foyth.
Ziyech received oxygen and treatment on the pitch and the shoulder was taken over by a Chelsea medical staff member as he was replaced by Christian Pulisic before half-time, returning later to the stands and watching post-match celebrations on the pitch with his arm in a sling.
The Blues eventually outlasted LaLiga side Villarreal 6-5 on penalties in front of 13,000 fans returning to the capital of Northern Ireland, with goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga – who replaced Edouard Mendy late in extra time with the shootout in mind – crucially saving Raul Albiol’s shot on goal.
However, the injury suffered by Ziyech took some of the sparkle from an otherwise memorable night for Chelsea, who opened their 2021/22 Premier League campaign with a London derby against Patrick Vieira’s Crystal Palace at Stamford. Bridge Saturday afternoon.
“If you knock out a player in the first half it’s serious,” Tuchel told BT Sport.
“We abused some players who were absolutely not ready to play 120 minutes and only have two days between this game and the next game with Crystal Palace, so that does not help us at all.
“We have come (to Belfast) with so many players who haven’t even played a friendly so far, so this is the situation – we have to adapt and we have to, in our mindset, be as ready as possible to do our best. ”
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