Prior to the decisive penalty in the Palmeiras win, Chelsea fans were surprised to see Cesar Azpilicueta pick up the ball as if he was going to take the spot-kick.
As it turned out, he was just absorbing the pressure from the Palmeiras players who immediately surrounded him to try and distract him. Meanwhile, Kai Havertz was standing nearby getting ready to step up.
“It was a tactic because I knew how they are, I knew they were coming for the penalty taker, so I took the ball,” Azpilicueta confirmed after the game, as per the official Chelsea website.
“Kai knew that he was going to shoot so it was to release the pressure from him. It was a decisive moment and Kai is one of the best penalty takers.
“I waited and listened to everything their players told me, and I think it worked which is the most important thing.”
It did work: Havertz converted the penalty to win the game and the trophy for Chelsea.
It means that the German forward has now scored two trophy-winning goals for Chelsea after his strike in the Champions League final against Man City last year.
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