Olivier Giroud's second half goal seal Europa League victory for Chelsea in Belarus
- Olivier Giroud scored the only goal that powered Chelsea to 1-0 win over Bate Borisov
- The victory makes it four wins in four matches for the Blues in this season's Europa League tourney
- They battle PAOK Thessaloniki FC in their next game later this month as they have already progressed to the next round with two matches to spare
Chelsea are through to the next round of this year's Europa League clash after narrowly beating BATE Borisov 1-0 in their match day encounter at the Borisov Arena.
Russia 2018 World Cup winning striker Olivier Giroud made all the difference in the game as his 52nd minute strike handed the Blues maximum victory away from home.
The visitors broke the deadlock just seven minutes into the second half having played barren draw in the first stanza.
Brazilian-born Italian defender Emerson Palmieri gave the assist that saw the Frenchman put the Premier League side ahead in the fixture.
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The victory means that the Stamford Bridge outfit remain at the summit of Group L with 12 points from four matches and are already through to the next phase of the championship.
They beat Borisov 3-1 in the reverse fixture in England late last month as they claim 4-1 on aggregate over the Belarusian Premier League side.
Maurizio Sarri's men welcome PAOK Thessaloniki FC in their next fixture at the Stamford Bridge and they will have the chance to field some fringe players since qualification has been sealed.
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In the other Group L match, Vidi FC also managed a 1-0 victory over PAOK to rank second on the log with six points - six behind table toppers Chelsea.
Meanwhile, Blues boss, Sarri will be hoping to mark his first season at the club by winning the European title at the end of the season.
Having won the title for the first time in 2013 under former manager Rafael Benitez - barely a year after the club won the Champions League under Roberto Di Matteo.
Legit.ng earlier reported that Chelsea kicked off their Europa League campaign on a winning note following their 1-0 win over PAOK Thessaloniki FC at the Toumba Stadium.
Brazil superstar William shot the Blues in front just seven minutes into the game after carefully putting the ball in the back of the net through a Ross Barkley's assist.
The FA Cup champions have been superb since the start of the season having won their first five games in the EPL despite facing Arsenal earlier in the season.
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Source: Legit.ng