Chelsea started their Champions League journey in a bland manner against Zenit St. Petersburg on Tuesday night, winning 1-0 with the help of Romelu Lukaku.
The Blues lacked any rhythm throughout the first half and didn't hit the target until the 48th minute. Hakimziyeh's half-time volley forced Zenit goalkeeper Stanislav Christik to save until the 69th minute when the deadlock was finally broken. Lukaku's head cone worked well and César Azpilicueta's beautiful internal-spin cross-pass worked well to send the ball perfectly above Lukaku, who jumped high and slammed the ball into the bottom corner.
With 10 minutes to go until the game, the hearts of Chelsea fans were in their mouths and Zenit had a couple of good chances, but none of them were able to turn them into goals as Aldeem Djoba deflected Sadar Azmon's cut cross slightly off the right-hand goalpost. Despite the final panic, the home team completed the rest of the game and won 1-0.