Chelsea boosted their chances of a Champions League top-eight finish on Wednesday when Moises Caicedo headed home from a corner in the 78th minute to break down a stubborn Pafos defence.The London side squeezed into eighth in the table on goal difference with one match to go - a tough away game at Napoli, managed by former boss Antonio Conte.
Chelsea, led by new coach Liam Rosenior in his first Champions League game, enjoyed more than 70% possession against the highly organised Pafos team.
They were backed up by Dutch goalkeeper Jay Gorter who pulled off a series of fine saves, including three earlier bullet attempts from Ecuadorean midfielder Caicedo.
His goal from a Pedro Neto corner finally broke the deadlock, earning Chelsea the chance to go straight through to the knockout rounds of the Champions League.
It was a largely frustrating night for Chelsea, who had to win to stand a chance of making the top eight and would have hoped for more goals against the Cypriot champions.
The Londoners, winners of the competition in 2012 and 2021, are one of eight teams on 13 points in the table so goal difference is crucial. They face Napoli next Wednesday.
Pafos, who hit the post in the first half after a shot from Jaja bounced off Chelsea captain Reece James, drop to 30th in the table on six points.
Reuters
